Courage Under Fire
by Shana Hager
Summary: Three survivors of a devastating attack come together in an unlikely bond to save the world of Smash from the sinister clutches of Tabuu. These three, two obscure and one misunderstood, shall forever be remembered for their courage under fire. Geoffrey Rush is Tabuu. Sequel to Adventure Mode. Rated T for intense action and peril; may increase to M.
1. Cataclysms

**Cataclysms**

 **I've heard legends of that person…**

 **How he plunged into enemy territory…**

 **How he saved his homeland…**

 _Super Smash Brothers are…_

 _Once upon a time, that's how we'd begin describing ourselves, as an "are". A colorful cast of characters, over twenty strong, from different worlds and universes. Called together once in a while to test our skills in combat. But when we started—as a simple band of twelve—there was more to it than fighting. It was about gaining trust, forging bonds, discovering shared interests, shared goals and common enemies. It was about expanding our horizons, discovering things about ourselves—discovering the heroes within._

 _As someone not entirely classified as heroic, I can attest that there's a hero in all of us. A hero who emerges in times of crisis, to give us strength, to make us noble—to keep us from falling apart and surrendering to the darkness. A hero who we look up to at our lowest points, who encourages us to hold on one second longer. It's only after we discover this personal hero that we truly realize our potential, what we're made of and where our allegiances lie. Yes, even within someone as timid as me, there lies a hero, resting, ready to emerge to answer the battle cries of his closest friends and his truest comrades with strident, unwavering battle cries of his own, ready to snap into action when distress calls sound and when drums begin to roll like thunder. Within us all, within the smallest child and the eldest senior citizen, lies a hero._

 _The tale I set before you today is the tale of how "are" turned into "is". Of how Super Smash Brothers transformed from a smorgasbord to a single entity. Of how a threat to our way of life stirred the heroes inside of us to life. And of how three overlooked, and in one case, misunderstood, characters united in an unlikely friendship to mount a resistance against a cunning, cruel and merciless enemy._

 _A tale of survival…_

 _Of courage…_

 _…courage under fire._

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In his castle, the king studies the golden brooches, each of which are stamped with his face. He sighs heavily. Always judged for his past actions, this king has been branded as a villain, as a tyrant. In 1992, he was, in fact, tyrannical, stealing all of the hard-earned food of his subjects to gorge on himself. But he has changed since then; he has seen the folly of his ways. And yet his past sins cling to him like a foul mist, dictating his status in the gaming world today. Gamers want to beat up the big, bad penguin as the little pink puffball and save the day—along with the food. They want to reassemble the Star Rod—even though smashing it was the only way to prevent Nightmare from wreaking havoc. They're so quick to blame the greedy king for stealing a piece of strawberry shortcake. When are they going to realize that the king's actions, questionable though they might be, have good intentions?

Perhaps now is that opportunity.

The brooches he has made are equipped with a magical power to counteract a coming darkness. This darkness threatens to consume Smash and all of its participants, condemning them to a trophified state for eternity. Unable to feel, to think, to hunger, to thirst and to love. The king has learned that this darkness attacks quickly yet savagely, giving no time to prepare. And thus, he has concocted a secret weapon which will automatically activate when the darkness strikes.

But in order to alert the people to the presence of this secret weapon, he must use—unfavorable—methods. With a heavy heart, he picks up his wooden mallet and hefts it onto his shoulder like a burden. He hopes they'll understand why he's doing this. Maybe once the darkness is defeated, and the truth about these brooches come out, they'll forgive him.

Resolved, the king stands, takes his mallet and his brooches, and sets out on his mission.

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The psychic child sees it as if in slow motion. The biker, hefting the cannon, aiming it at the chest of his blond best friend. The nine-year-old's silent scream as a beam of sorts vomits from the mouth of the cannon. His own legs, pumping as he throws himself towards his younger friend. His arms, flying out in front of him. The horrible beam closing in on the blond child. His body colliding with the child's, tackling him out of harm's way. The beam slamming into him. His mouth, forming the name— _Lucas_. Unbearable heat, blinding light and excruciating pain. And then nothing else…

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The plumber strolls along the dirt road, drinking in the solitude and softness of his surroundings. His mind is cluttered and spinning. He needs to think, to sort things out. So much has happened to him in the past year. So much—

His mouth goes dry as he remembers. His body, being _controlled_ by evil forces for their own personal gain. The black mask covering soulless eyes. A scarf, black as night, around his neck. The searing agony of flames and the pit of nothingness. The explosion in his head as the Floro-Sprout takes root. Chaos. Crashing. Screaming. A man and a woman, writhing and covered in blood. Explosions. Whiteness…

And then he takes a deep breath, bringing himself back to the present. That horror was a year ago. A year! It's ancient history now. He can't do anything about it. And yet he wishes he can. By night, his villainous alter ego whispers in his ear, tantalizing him with twisted thoughts of envy and unlimited power. Guilt twists him like a knife. The evil forces had uncovered his weakness and used it as a weapon. And for that, he may never forgive himself.

He snaps out of it when he sees a weird brown creature waddling toward him. His muscles snap taut, and he assumes a fighting stance, ready to combat the threat. The creature approaches him, peers at him, and then wanders off. He relaxes and lets out a breath, only to jump a mile in the air when another weird brown creature seemingly appears out of nowhere.

Who are these weird little guys? Where do they come from?

Preoccupied with these creatures, he doesn't notice the king creeping up on him with his mallet. Attached to the mallet is a curious-looking cannon. When the king is directly behind the oblivious man, he gives his back a lingering, regretful look. He's one of his closest friends, and he doesn't want to hurt him! Yet alas, there's no other way.

The king takes a preparatory breath, brings his mallet back, and swings with all of his might.

Exquisite, white-hot agony explodes all over the man's back, his feet leaving the ground and the air leaving his lungs. He shrieks in despair as he hurtles high into the atmosphere. And then he hurtles back down. But on the return trip, he's a trophy.

The king patiently waits, using his mallet to break the trophified man's fall. Gently, he sets the trophy back on the road, in plain view. And then lies in wait for the biker.

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The job proves quite easy. The biker alights from his motorcycle to inspect his newest find, only to be swarmed by the king's minions. In the ensuing fracas, the king snags the trophy, as well as the other trophies the biker has collected. While merrily riding along, he sees three more of his friends and tries to savage them as well. Unfortunately, as always, that pink puffball misunderstands his motives and severs part of the cargo load with his Final Cutter, leaving the king no choice but to cut his losses and flee with the three trophies currently in his possession.

The misunderstood king brings the three trophies—three of his best pals—to his luxurious castle. One by one, he takes them out of the damaged cargo load and sets them down. A smile graces his face as he looks at them. A beautiful Princess, in a tickle-me-pink dress. A young, gifted child, in a striped shirt, shorts and a red baseball cap. A plumber, kind, gentle and loyal but quiet and nigh disregarded, clad in emerald green. They're safe from the darkness now. Safe. With him.

He removes the brooches from their hiding place. One he places on the psychic's chest. The other he sticks onto the plumber's bulbous nose. And for the Princess—oh, dear, there's not enough! Should he sacrifice his own brooch for this lovely young lady? Without a second thought, he surrenders his personal brooch and pins it onto the peachy Princess. He can always make more of them, anyway.

The king steps back and takes a look at his handiwork. The plumber, the psychic and the Princess, protected by his magical brooches. He strokes each of them lovingly, his eyes glossing over their features—from the plumbers radiant blue eyes to the Princess's golden locks to the psychic's brunette tufts peeking through his cap. Perfect. These three will know what to do. Reviving a trophy is simple—just touch its base. They'll assemble a resistance army and do battle with the darkness. The king just needs to keep them protected until the time comes.

A loud crash interrupts his thoughts.

He glances up, screaming in dismay when he sees intruders smashing their way in from the ceiling. In a panic, he runs to his trophies, to shield them, to defend them, as debris falls around him. The invaders continue tearing their way inside, and the king grabs his mallet, deciding to face the hostile party head-on. But just as he brandishes it, heavy chunks of ceiling smash relentlessly into his massive body, sending him to the floor and pinning him there.

Blood trickles down his face. His vision blurs. He knows something is probably broken, and he can barely breathe. His hand reaches out, toward the three helpless trophies, but he can't move; he can't free himself from the horrible debris. He's failed his fellow Smashers. Even in their darkest hour, he's failed them.

 _I'm sorry, my friends. I'm so—so—sorry—_

And that's all he has time to think before something hard collides with him and everything goes black.

 **Please R &R.**


	2. For Better or Worse

**For Better or Worse**

 _In the world of Smash, many battles are fought, but at the end of the day, we smile at our opponents, shake hands, and congratulate each other on a good fight. Tabuu had another vision in mind. A vision in which he ruled supreme and controlled every last universe represented in the tournaments. After paralyzing the Smashers' resistance, he and his foot soldiers, known collectively as the Subspace Army, would create a new Smash World in which we would be reduced to the status of gladiators, forced to spill blood for his pleasure and live under his oppressive thumb—or else._

 _There were a few Smashers who willingly betrayed us to join Tabuu's cause. One of them was Wario, the paragon of greed, who was annoying yet tolerable in my home world. The second was King Koopa—but what else did I expect? He was nothing but trouble since Master Hand invited him to join the tournaments, bullying and scheming. I thought he'd learned something after I thrashed him at the end of Adventure Mode, and again during Event 51, but nay. Though he'd grudgingly started to respect me, there was always something diabolical on his mind. Same for Ganondorf, the King of Evil, who also tortured the other Smashers to no end, even after I handed his butt to him in Event 51. Koopa and Ganon were two peas in a pod, so it didn't come as a surprise when they volunteered as Tabuu's generals to get as many Smashers out of the way as they could. But Wario—maybe he was in it for the money._

 _But Tabuu also used violence. He tortured Mr. Game and Watch by extracting Shadow Bugs from his blood and then creating evil duplicates of him, and then enslaved the R.O.B. race to force them to manufacture and detonate Subspace Bombs, which would engulf whole universes. In effect, Tabuu perpetuated the mass suicide of these robots—but one of them survived—the Ancient Minister. When he tried to fight back, his brainwashed brothers and sisters attacked him. He was rescued from the bomb factory but was forced to watch his fellow R.O.B.s die as the Subspace Bombs engulfed them. Knowing that his actions put his new friends in harm's way as well as lead to the deaths of his people, this lone R.O.B was scarred with guilt._

 _Master Hand, our leader, was also at Tabuu's cruel mercy. Using the Chains of Light, Tabuu became MH's puppeteer, giving orders to his generals through the giant glove. Later, when the heroes gathered to confront the head of the Smash tournament over his supposed treachery, the truth came out. MH broke free of the Chains of Light and rebelled against his captor, who viciously attacked him in return. Outraged by the sight of their injured benefactor, the Smashers prepared to take on Tabuu—but alas, they had no chance._

 _The Off Waves, Tabuu's most horrifying weapon. Even the strongest Smasher was powerless against them. They slammed into the heroes like concrete, scattering them like crows. It is said that those hit by the Off Waves could feel and hear every muscle, cell, organ and nerve in their bodies shut down one by one as they lost all sense of time and rational thought. Seeing their friends turn from flesh-and-blood beings to dull pieces of metal and unable to help them. That was what happened to the Smashers who had assembled that day. Turned into trophies and flung into different parts of Subspace, their spirits trapped in remorseless metal for eternity. Doomed to be domineered by Tabuu, a ruthless being who no one could defeat._

 _All hope should've been lost._

 _But it wasn't._

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Blue eyes flutter open and take in their surroundings. A ruined castle. How did he wind up in here? Why is it so dark? Why is the castle in ruins?

Why does he hurt so much?

Oh, right. He was ambushed by those weird-looking creatures, and then something hard collided full-force with his back. What was it? A car? A bus? A train? A rock? A ball? He'd been hit by soccer balls during those Strikers tournaments in his home universe. But it had felt exponentially harder than a soccer ball.

He can't breathe. Something's on his nose. Something sticky—and metallic? What is this thing? Who put it there?

What's going on?

He turns his head and sees and equally confused boy, the psychic from Onett. At least it's someone he knows. And there's something on his chest. Round and gold, with a penguin's face on it.

The boy's beady eyes widen. "Luigi?" he whispers.

"Ness?" Luigi whispers back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are _you_ okay?"

Luigi winces. "My back. Someone attacked me. Hey—do you know where we are?"

Ness shakes his head. "Last thing I remember, that man was pointing some cannon at Lucas—oh, God, Lucas! He could be lost somewhere! I pushed him out of the way, and everything went black. Then, I woke up here."

"Well, I was going for a walk, and then these strange creatures appeared out of nowhere. Then, somebody hit me in the back—very hard, I might add—and I don't remember anything after that. It's like—I was in a deep sleep." He cranes his neck. "Say—what's that on your chest?"

"Huh?" Ness looks down at the mysterious thing in wonder. "Hey! You've got one of those things, too! On your nose!" He reaches out and pulls it off, causing Luigi to wince slightly in response. "Looks like some sort of brooch."

"Well, who put it on?" questions Luigi. "Was it the guy who attacked me?"

The two look across the room. In the center of a pile of rubble lies the trophy of a blue penguin, clothed in royal garments and wearing what appears to be a beanie.

"Wait a sec—we know him," breathes Ness. "That's King DDD!"

"The self-proclaimed ruler of Dreamland," nods Luigi. "What does he want with us?"

He and Ness look down at their brooches. Then back at the DDD trophy. Then back at the brooches. Then the trophy. Then the brooches. Then the trophy. Then the brooches. Then—

" _He_ put these badges on us," Luigi says finally, "and they must've revived us from whatever sleep state we were in! Ness—I think he was protecting us!"

"And he just saved us," murmurs Ness.

They stand to their feet and walk over to the DDD trophy, where they touch the base, reanimating him.

King DDD stirs with a groan. Then, his eyes pop open as Luigi and Ness kneel over him, their faces soft.

"DDD," says Luigi. "Are you all right?"

"Guess so," mutters DDD. "I was flattened by rubble. How about you guys?"

"You hit me in the back, and then I woke up with a brooch on my nose," Luigi tells him matter-of-factly, holding up his golden brooch.

"The brooches—they—worked?" gasps DDD.

Suddenly, he sits up and grabs Luigi and Ness for a hug. "They worked! They worked! And you're alive and safe! Just like I hoped!"

"So—those things revive people?" asks Ness.

"Yes. The ruler of Subspace, Tabuu, has something diabolical up his sleeve. I knew he'd do something like this. He must've turned everyone else into trophies!"

" _Everyone_?" Ness and Luigi gasp in unison.

"Everyone," DDD repeats somberly. "Courtesy of Tabuu's Off Waves. In the event that happens, the brooches I put on the two of you would counteract his power, restoring you to life so the Smashers would at least have a fighting chance." Suddenly, he pauses. "Hold on. Where'd Peach go? I had one on her, too!"

"Peach was here?" repeats Luigi.

"Yeah. I snagged her and Ness from Wario," explains DDD.

"The man who menaced Lucas?" balks Ness.

"He's a pain in the neck," Luigi says to him.

"So—if everyone else is a trophy, then that means…" Ness blanches. "Poor Lucas! He's a trophy, too! He must've gone out to find me after Wario's attack!"

"And Mario! And Peach and Yoshi and DK and—all our other friends!" Luigi joins in. "They need our help! We can revive them and build an army to crush Tabuu once and for all!" He looks at DDD. "By the way, who were those creatures?"

"They were my minions," replies DDD. "I call them Waddle Dees. They're harmless, really."

"Wow. Thanks for telling me that," deadpans Luigi. His eyes fall on DDD's mallet. "Care to explain hitting me with that thing?"

DDD sighs. "I did what I had to," he tells him. "There—there was no time to explain. I…"

Luigi stops him with a hand on his shoulder. "I understand," he says, forgiveness in his eyes. DDD slumps in relief.

"But we can't dwell on it right now," continues Luigi. "Our friends are frozen, trophified, _helpless_ —and at the mercy of Tabuu and his lackeys! They're depending on us! Whatever happened between us three in the past—it doesn't matter anymore! We have to band together! We have to team up and stop this madman! Our futures—and the future of Smash—depend on it!"

Ness nods. "You're right."

"DDD—however unorthodox it was—you saved me," Luigi goes on, his voice building in passion, "but I need to know if I can trust you. I've got to save Mario and the rest of my friends, but—I can't do that without you." He concentrates his gaze on Ness. "Or you."

"Ditto," Ness says softly.

"So," concludes Luigi. "Can I trust you, DDD?"

DDD pumps his mallet determinedly. "You sure can," he responds.

"Can I count on you, Ness?"

Ness jerks a nod. "I'll give my life for you," he vows.

"And I'll give my life for you both," says Luigi, and he means it. He really means it!

The man in green's face is solemn as he slips one gloved hand into Ness's and the other into DDD's.

"This," he whispers. "Is the start of something special."

The unlikely trio of King DDD, Luigi and Ness continues to hold hands as they stride with fortitude into an alien, hostile world.

The world of Subspace.

 **Please R &R.**


	3. Bold and Beautiful

**Bold and Beautiful**

 _Hitting someone in the back with a hammer is not a promising beginning for a friendship, yet somehow, King Dedede was able to pull it off. There were three of us—DDD, Ness and I—surrounded on all sides by darkness and chaos. Tabuu's foot soldiers, from Primids to Glices to Glires to Glunders to Buckots to Jyks and to Mites and Generators, infested the mysterious, harsh world of Subspace. In the face of such an environment, the three of us needed something—someone—to cling to for a sense of normalcy, of stability. It was no wonder, then, that the three of us were drawn so closely to each other as we bravely faced off against the enemies in our path._

 _DDD was a Smash newcomer, and the things I learned about him were mainly bad. He stole food, broke Star Rods and bossed around his subjects. But I'm not as quick as others to judge people. I noticed that he was rather warm with his rival, Kirby. I also noticed that he was polite and gentlemanly toward the ladies. He was genuinely remorseful for his past actions and wanted to make up for them. Perhaps that was why he set out to save as many Smashers as he could from the Off Waves._

 _After he ambushed me and brought me to his castle, and once his brooch revived me of Tabuu's spell, the two of us began to talk, once I fully grasped the reason he resorted to such means to protect me and absolved him of his sneak attack. I'd fought him in several standard Brawls, so I thought I was used to his mallet. But that's missing the point. I knew that DDD was a respectable opponent and a trustworthy teammate. Off the battlefield, he had a heart of gold, sometimes giving away part of his victor's spoils to someone who actually needed it. But the two of us really didn't have time to really talk until now, knee-deep in a dangerous situation. In between throwing punches, swinging mallets and launching fireballs at the increasingly vicious enemies, we began to exchange the stories of our lives._

 _DDD had assumed the throne of Dreamland in 1992, after the death of its previous king, and governed the people with the help of his trusted advisor, Escargoon. While it was true that he once stole Dreamland's supply of food, it was also true that he sought to protect his subjects from Nightmare by breaking the Star Rod, information he had not time to relate to Kirby. Speaking of Kirby, DDD enjoyed an up-and-down relationship with the fluffball. One moment, he was helping the little guy retrieve the Crystal Shards or helping some poor soul repair his Starcutter or competing in races and eating contests with him. The next, he could be raging over how popular Kirby was over him and making shady business dealings to sic fearsome monsters on the young hero. After Kirby finally put the kibosh on Nightmare and his sinister monster-making corporation, DDD stopped sending fiends after him, and the two reached an understanding. Kirby was so compassionate and forgiving that he secured a place for his frenemy in this tournament. Their chemistry was favorable so far, and they were amazing in Team Battles. They also hung out in the Smash Lounge, playing board games and divvying up sweets among themselves. And he was kind to me on his first day—so, I was equally kind to him. I knew what it was like to be oft-misunderstood and swept under the rug. I'd been overshadowed most of my life, singled out for my supposed cowardice and picked on and told that I had no chance in Smash. Boy, did I prove them wrong!_

 _Then, there was Ness. Nine years had built up the strong foundation of our relationship. In the halcyon days of the first tournament, we were among the original four unlockable characters—the Formidable Four. A band of four, willing our wings to soar. Burning through all four seasons. Ness once confessed to being snubbed for being a hidden character, and I, in turn, told him how I handled being shunned and put down for not being unlockable but also the worst fighter on the roster, competitive-wise. Little Ness from Onett—smart, resourceful and as good at sports as I was, especially when it came to baseball and yo-yo tricks. He always brought his Home Run Bat and his yo-yo into any given battle. Nine years and three tournaments saw growth between us and in our friendship. But—the only memorable thing Ness did was save his hometown from aliens led by Gigyas, and even that got washed over in favor of the exploits of more popular heroes, like Mario, Link and Samus. He was the only representative of his series until recently, when young, shy Lucas joined the roster. Ness and Lucas hit it off quite well—there were even rumblings of them being in love—which was why Ness helped Lucas fight off the giant Porky statue and then saved him from Wario's Dark Cannon. And I don't have to guess that Lucas risked his life and limb to get Ness back. Now, he was in this strange land, in trophy form, waiting to be rescued._

 _DDD, the tyrannical but also benevolent monarch. Ness, the genius PSI powerhouse. And then there was me, the cowardly hero, the Eternal Understudy, the King of Second Bananas, the newest moniker bestowed upon me. Drawn together by danger, duty and devotion, the three of us were going to be good friends—best friends—through thick and thin and till the end of time. It was us against Subspace—and Subspace was gonna lose!_

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Tabuu's troops. They're everywhere. Most of them are Primids, Glires, Glices, Glunders, Shaydas, Jyks and Buckots, but there are also Poppants and Puppits, an occasional Auroros, Generators full of Mites, some Tickens, and a Floow or two. There are also familiar enemies, such as Koopa Troopas and Hammer Bros. They tend to attack viciously and in large groups, seeking to tear the three heroes apart. But the blood in the veins of these three has been channeled into fraternal bonds; their destinies have converged. They take turns bravely leading the way, defending themselves and each other with the skills which make them legends in their respective worlds. The Earth trembles as King DDD brings his fearsome mallet upon the foes standing in his way, sometimes, knocking Subspace troops into each other. Everything comes aglow with Ness's PSI attacks, from PK Flash to PK Thunder and his personal favorite, PK Fire. The young psychic shimmers and sparkles with psychokinetic energy as he holds his own against the hostile inhabitants of Subspace. Just as Luigi shimmers with pyrokinetic energy, electrokinetic energy and epinephrine-induced energy as he shows these baddies what he can do. Despite his awkwardness, he's actually a favorable and viable-fighter, a far cry from his humbled beginnings in 1999. All of his attacks are devastating, have fair range and come out relatively fast. The trick is getting the foe in a position where they can taste his fury. Luigi is the most energetic and determined of the three, despite his nerves. Rather than hide behind DDD's might or Ness's PSI, he's in the thick of the fighting. Sometimes, he can easily defeat an enemy with a handful of green fireballs. Other times, simple jabs will do. He'll throw his quick strong attacks, from a roundhouse power kick to a crouching heel kick to an overhead swipe, to dispel weak enemies. Stronger enemies, however, suffer his smash attacks. His breakdance sweep hits on both sides of him, taking down several baddies at a time. His headbutt covers a good arc over his body and deals the strongest hurt behind him. But his fastest Smash attack has to be his forward knifehand thrust, the Trowel Stab. This is a move he created seven years ago, and it's one of his KO moves of choice, second to his Super Jump Punch, b-air or Green Missile. He flies past his two companions to slam into a menace in their path, and his strong jumping uppercut leaves Ness and DDD agape in wonder at his power. To save themselves from taking unnecessary damage, the trio can simply throw the enemies away from them. Throwing provides breathing room during matches, anyway. Sometimes, they come across items, like Super Scopes and Beam Swords, Heart Containers, Maxim Tomatoes and Food. It feels great to throw Gooey Bombs or other explosives at crowds of Subspace Army troops. Luigi actually brings a Beam Sword to his lips in gratitude after using it to defend Ness from some aggressive Primids. And when there's a cornucopia of food, the three friends divide it among themselves as evenly as they can.

But their path is not aimless. Lifeless trophies litter the area, and when one of the three spots a fellow Smasher, he gives a signal. They run up and tap the bases of these trophies, their caring touch restoring the Smasher to full vitality. The warm, grateful smiles on these Smashers' faces is worth the peril.

First up is Samus Aran, the bounty hunter, whose powerful Varia Suit was nothing compared to Tabuu's Off Waves. She opens her eyes from beneath her visor and sees three faces leaning over her.

"L? Ness? Triple D? What happened?" she asks, her voice a bit muffled.

"Tabuu, that's what," Luigi says gravely. "He unleashed his most devastating attack on all of us. If it weren't for DDD, then it would've been game over. His brooches saved me and Ness, and then we revived DDD so we could come and get you guys."

"Thanks, DDD. Thanks, L. Thanks, Ness." Samus has a smile, sparkling eyes and a kind nod for the three of them. "I am forever in your debt. Just tell me what I can do, and I'll do it."

"We need to go and find the others," replies Ness. "In the meantime, you can search for clues regarding Tabuu's whereabouts. And also look for a place where we can meet."

Samus checks her Arm Cannon. "You got it. Thanks again," she says before rushing off.

The trio then go through a door and find Pit, the Captain of the Angel Guard, and Falco Lombardi, the space ace. Next to them is an Item Box. DDD grabs the box while Ness and Luigi revive the two Smashers.

"Thank Palutena!" gasps Pit as Ness helps him up. "Master Hand is hurt! Tabuu did something to him and then froze all of us! We were no match for his Off Waves!"

"Don't worry," Ness assures him. "We'll figure this out. And we'll beat him. I don't know how—but we'll beat him."

"My God," rasps Falco. "How did you all survive?"

"DDD," Luigi, a fellow Brooklynite, tells him. "His special brooch reversed the effects of the Off Waves. We've come to help you."

Falco smiles. "'Preciate it," he says. "I guess ya know who your friends are when the [ _bleep_ ] hits the fan. But where's Fox? I swear I saw him when…"

Luigi shushes him. "Relax. We'll find him. We'll find them all. I swear it."

"The world could use more people like you," says Falco. "I just want you to know that. And the same goes for you, kid. And you, Your Highness."

"Thanks," Ness and DDD pipe up.

"Is there any way we can help?" asks Pit.

"We revived Samus," says DDD. "See if you can meet up with her and locate Tabuu. We'll bring backup."

Falco and Pit scurry off.

After scaling some platforms, Ness comes across Lucas near a door and quickly revives him. "Lucas!" he cries. "Lucas!"

Lucas looks around and then focuses on the raven-haired psychic. "Ness—you came for me."

Ness takes him in his arms. "Save your strength. You're gonna be okay. Nobody will ever harm you again."

"I'm sorry I put you through this," Lucas murmurs. "I should've been braver. You got turned into a trophy because I was scared…" He chokes a sob.

"It's okay to be scared sometimes," counsels Ness. "I was scared, too—but I was more scared of losing you than of Porky or Wario."

"Thank God you're all right," sniffles Lucas. "I came to find you. And Red helped me."

"The Pokémon Trainer?" asks Ness.

"Yeah."

"Lucas—thank you. Thank you for facing your fears to try and save me."

"Thank you for helping me beat Porky," replies Lucas.

Lucas stands up and greets Luigi and DDD. "You're alive…"

"Long story," says DDD. "Let's just say I was kinda prepared for it."

"Thank you—both of you," Lucas tells them.

"Hey, Lucas," says Luigi.

"Yeah?"

"I had to face my fears, too. Several times. And I did it for someone I loved. So, I know what it's like. And I had someone help me, too."

"I heard about that," muses Lucas. "I admire you, L. We're not so different, you and I."

"No, we're not," says Luigi. "Now, go. There are other Smashers who need reviving, and you can help us track down Tabuu."

Lucas frowns. "No! I am _not_ leaving Ness again! Not after…"

"We'll keep him safe." Luigi steps forward and puts a hand on Ness's shoulder. "He won't die on our watch!"

Lucas offers Ness one final concerned look before unwillingly going off in search of answers.

"Can't you imagine? My friend, Lucas," demurs Ness. "Going on a big adventure to save me after I saved him…"

"Look! There's Ike!" shouts DDD as he rushes over to the blue-haired Radiant Hero.

DDD touches the trophy's base, and Ike Griel runs a hand through his hair as he sits up. "Marth?"

"Hi, Ike!" DDD says cheerily.

"Gods! Hey, DDD!" greets Ike, standing and grabbing Ragnell. "You know where Marth is?"

"No, but we'll get him for you," promises Ness.

"Thanks, kiddo!" says Ike, ruffling the boy's hair. He turns and locks eyes with Luigi. "Hi, L! How's it going?"

"Not bad, considering," replies the man in green. "You fight for your friends. So do we."

"I see that," nods Ike, taking in the trio, sweaty and bruised up. "The Subspace Army's giving you trouble?"

"Yeah," the three say as one.

Ike's eyes narrow. "They'll get no sympathy from me!" he vows.

"We've freed some others," says DDD. "See if you can join with them, and we'll look for Marth."

"Sounds like a deal!" says Ike, sprinting away.

Luigi leads Ness and DDD up a series of ascending platforms to a DK trophy. The King of the Jungle grins and gives the man in green a bear hugs, but frowns when thoughts of Diddy Kong cross his mind. Luckily, Luigi can read his mind.

"We're reviving as many Smashers as we can," he says. "I'm positive that Diddy will be one of them."

DK makes grateful ape noises before ambling away.

"Poor DK," murmurs Luigi. "Koopa makes trouble by stealing his bananas, and then turns him into a trophy and makes Diddy go through Hell to retrieve him. And I thought DK was the bad guy once."

"He changed his ways, like I did," DDD says softly.

"It took a long while for Mario and I to trust him," says Luigi, "but slowly, we learned to. And if you wait long enough, then everyone will grow to trust you, too. Turning good is a long, rough climb. But it's worth it."

"Thanks, L," beams DDD.

They hop up two springs, and then DDD destroys a bomb block to reveal a door hidden behind some blocks. Just inside the door lies Red, the Pokémon Trainer who helped Lucas. Ness runs over to revive him.

Red stretches and gets to his feet. "Ness?"

Ness smiles. "That's me!"

"Lucas and I looked all over for you!" cries Red.

"I know. He told me. Don't worry—he's okay. But he feels bad for putting me in danger."

"Where is he now?" asks Red.

"Looking for the other Smashers we revived," explains Ness. "Go quickly, and you'll catch up to him. But what about Ivysaur, Squirtle and Charizard? Are they okay?"

Red holds up three Pokèballs. "Ready to go," he says proudly. He sends out Squirtle, who playfully squirts Ness's face with water before joining Red. "I'll see you down there," smiles Red before he disappears.

Meanwhile, Luigi blasts away another wall to reveal Pikachu, the iconic Electric Mouse.

"Pika!" chirps Pikachu as he scurries into Luigi's arms.

"Are you okay?" questions Luigi.

Pikachu nods. "Pika, pika, pika, pi."

"You helped Samus? Good for you!" gushes Luigi. "We revived her a while back. There's a small party of rescued Smashers, and she's among them. Wanna go help her?"

"Pika, pi, pika, pika, pika!"

"I know you want to stay and help us, but we'll be fine," Luigi assures him. "Sammy and the others—they need you more."

"Pika," whispers Pikachu, curling up in Luigi's lap.

Luigi smiles and cuddles with him for a while. The relationship between these two has always been—strange. In 1999, they were the polar opposites of the tier list, Pikachu first and Luigi last. In 2001, they clashed over their side specials, and it got pretty heated sometimes. Now, their feud has simmered down, and they're further united by the danger they face.

"Trust me, I'll be fine with these two," murmurs Luigi. "Go find Samus, because she's worried about you. No doubt our paths will cross again when we find Tabuu."

Pikachu nods, rubs noses with Luigi and then scampers off to find the bounty huntress.

Now, the trio must deal with collapsing floors as well as enemies, bomb blocks and hidden doors. But Ness's PK Thunder can propel him to safety, as can the Super DDD Jump and the Super Jump Punch. Luigi tries to get Misfires so he can soar across gaping chasms. He and Ness also have high jumps to vault them from one platform to another, and DDD has two extra jumps to assist him. In one room, they're confronted with a group of circling mines.

"Stand back," commands Luigi before calmly throwing fireballs at the mines. In seconds, they're all cleared out without anyone taking a single point of damage.

Waiting for them are three trophies: Marth Lowell, Fox McCloud and Captain Olimar. DDD revives Marth, Ness revives Olimar and Luigi revives Fox.

"Thank Naga you're still here," says Marth. "Did you get Ike?"

"Yes," says DDD, "and we told him that we'd come find you."

Marth's eyes shine. "That's Ness, and there's Luigi, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I know that Luigi can be brave for his friends. In Melee, he told me about how he saved his brother from that mansion. But—how did he…"

"Me," DDD breaks in. "I put a brooch on him which restored him to life."

Marth grins. "You made some mistakes, but you have a pure heart," he says wisely.

Ness watches Olimar pluck six Pikmin from the ground. "You ready?" he asks.

Olimar nods. "We can do this."

"Hey," says Ness. "Don't worry about Falcon. We'll come across him; I'm sure of it."

Olimar nods. "He really helped me out back there."

As DDD and Ness send Marth and Olimar off to join their rescued friends, Luigi and Fox exchange intense, knowing looks.

"Hi, Luigi," Fox says finally.

"Fox," Luigi says, formal and clipped. His relationship with the vulpine is an interesting one.

"Where's Falco?" asks Fox.

"He's safe, and worried about you," Luigi replies. "All of the Smashers we've rescued are worried about their friends. And one by one, they're meeting up. You can find Falco there."

"And Diddy…"

"We're on the lookout for him, as well."

"L—I can't thank you enough," Fox says softly. "You're risking your life for me."

"Because you're my friend," says Luigi. "We may have had problems in the past, but at the end of the day, I respect you, and I respect what you do with Star Fox."

"So do I," admits Fox.

Luigi shrugs and turns away briefly. "You have a funny way of showing it."

Fox heaves a regretful sigh. Historically, he's been ranked among the best in Smash, considerably higher than Luigi. In the beginning, he was 4th out of 12th, tending to look down on Luigi because of it. During the Melee years, Fox was elevated to the status of a god, and that was when the vulpine really let things get to his head. This time around, Fox has taken a slight tumble, now occupying the middle of the tier. And he guesses that it's for the best, given the way he acted in 1999 and 2001.

"I'm sorry," Fox states finally. "I'm sorry about the way I acted toward you in the past."

"I know."

"I'll make it up to you," promises Fox. "I'll go out there, meet up with Falco and the others, and I will help you take Tabuu down. I'll come back with my shield—or on it."

Luigi turns back to Fox and smiles slowly. "I appreciate that."

They shake hands, and Fox dashes away to honor his promise.

Up ahead is a pathway of falling blocks, so the three have to keep moving, ignoring the pursuing enemies as best they can and hoping to leave them behind among the toppling block bridge. When they reach a door, a horde of Subspace enemies corners them! This time, the three Smashers stand and fight, throwing their strongest attacks left and right until the aggressors are reduced to heaps of scrap. Ness strikes a bomb block with PK Thunder, leaps over a platform and fetches Mr. Game and Watch.

Mr. G&W beeps his thanks to the trio as they lead him from some unstable ground. It's obvious that he's still traumatized from his treatment at the hands of Tabuu.

"You want to get even with him, don't you?" asks Luigi.

Mr. G&W nods.

"You can, and you will," says Luigi, "but you can't go it alone. The others—they're here to help you."

The monochrome man beeps joyfully before heading off to join the other rescued Smashers.

When the trio goes through another door, they're taken through an auto-scrolling circular pathway, so they have to move quickly. They snatch Diddy Kong and Douglas Jay Falcon from the room and bring them to stable ground before reviving them.

Diddy Kong chatters all sorts of questions while Captain Falcon gratefully shakes hands with his three rescuers.

"Diddy, DK is safe and sound," Luigi assures the sidekick. "He's reuniting with other Smashers as we speak."

Diddy scampers off to find DK, leaving Douglas with the brave trio.

"Surprised?" asks Luigi.

"Kinda," admits Falcon. "How did you find me?"

"We just did," states Ness. "We're glad you're okay, Cap'n."

"You, too, Ness. And you, Luigi. The Formidable Four will live to fight another day!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Douglas," Luigi says coolly.

"Did you find Samus?" asks Douglas.

DDD nods. "We found her first."

"As long as she's okay and kicking," says Falcon. "Who found you?"

"Nobody, actually," Ness tells him. "It was DDD's generosity which saved us."

Falcon smiles at DDD. "Thanks for looking out for my two buddies, Your Majesty!"

"It's what I do," DDD says humbly.

Luigi beckons to the racer. "Walk with me, Cap'n."

"Sure," says Douglas, striding over to join Luigi.

DDD is confused. "What's going on with them?" he queries.

"History," Ness states simply. He indicates a door. "I think a trophy's in there. Come on."

Ness and DDD enter the room and freeze on the spot when they see the trophified Smasher before them…

Outside the door, Luigi faces Douglas, dead serious. "This must be a humbling experience for you," he says.

"I—it is," sighs Falcon. "Just one shot, and boom. I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. I couldn't—do anything."

"And you would've stayed like that forever—if it wasn't for DDD's generosity," Luigi says severely. "He may be a villain, but he has standards. DDD has a soft, compassionate side. He barely knows some of the Smashers, but he went to bat for them nonetheless. I was ambushed by him, yet it was the only way he could protect me from those Off Waves. Then, he grabbed Ness and Peach from Wario. Peach was stolen, but DDD pinned brooches on Ness and I. They're the reason why we could rescue you."

"What are you getting at?"

"You know exactly what I'm getting at, Douglas. When you see DDD, I want you to thank him—and mean it. Because your moves were no match for those Off Waves."

Douglas winces as he remembers the rocky road that's his friendship with Luigi. He was just as cocky as Fox back in the day, perhaps worse. Flaunting his high rankings, getting drunk, calling Luigi names—and it all came back to bite him when he lost some significant matches. He's mellowed over the years, but Luigi's not about to let him forget. Especially since they initially bonded over being secret characters.

"I hope you got the idea that you're untouchable out of your head," admonishes Luigi, "because this is a serious situation. Tabuu is nothing like Koopa or Ganon or other video game villains. He won't exercise restraint—he wants us eradicated. And if he gets us, then that's it. No continues. There is no room for error or carelessness. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"We have to work together, and that means that I'm counting on you," concludes Luigi. "Everyone else is counting on you, and you have to count on them, too. This is our lives we're fighting for, not fame or some prize money. I've got your back—but will you have mine?"

"I will," vows Falcon. "I will."

"Hey, L!" calls Ness. "Someone's here to see you!"

"I'll see you round," says Douglas as he and Luigi part ways.

The man in green follows Ness through the door, his eyes flying open and a relieved cry bursting from his lips. He falls to his knees and throws his arms around his elder, more famous brother, pulling him close to his body, as if he'll fade away before his eyes. Mario "Jumpman" Mario returns the brotherly embrace, whispering affections in his native tongue as Luigi's walls break down and he cries quietly into his chest.

Ness and DDD stand by, watching the brotherly reunion, their eyes misting over. They know that despite the fame inequality, Luigi loves Mario dearly, and he'd do anything to protect him. Face his fears, put himself in harm's way, die—anything to ensure his big bro's safety. All his life, he's worked to prove that he's a worthy sidekick, and so far, he has, from going on a perilous journey to cure Mario of Bean Fever to having his worth appraised by the critical Star Gate, who was forced to acknowledge the depth of Luigi's passionate brotherly devotion.

And even though they're in the bowels of Subspace, it doesn't feel so hostile anymore, for Luigi Mario is in a place where he feels secure, comforted, warm and loved—in his brother's arms.

 **Please review!**


	4. Differences Aside

**Differences Aside**

 _Your brother's arms around you as your world faces destruction—how can I describe that feeling? It was like—like—being trapped in a fiery furnace with an angel watching over you, telling you that it's going to be okay. But I'd held myself in so wonderfully as we trekked to revive our friends. I had to be strong for my two companions. Now, knowing that Mario would fight another day and basking in the warmth of his embrace, I finally had the luxury of letting go. Tears spilled down my cheeks to mingle with his tears, fingers entangling in soft hair, and I held him tightly to me, fearing that he'd slip away at any moment. As soon as I learned that Tabuu had turned everyone into trophies, Mario had been the first person to come to my mind. I'd wanted to find him and confirm that he was okay. And then he was right in front of me, and then in my arms, murmuring comforting things._

 _But I kept my cry relatively short. Catching up would have to wait. Right now, every realm in the Nintendo universe was at stake—our friendships and bonds, old and new, and even our rivalries. Our ways of life. If Tabuu had his way, then these meetings of the best legends and the times we'd share together—all of that would be no more. Neither of us wanted that to happen, but in order to stop Tabuu, we had to count on each other. Rivalries had to be left in the dust, to be picked up some other time. We all had a common enemy, an enemy who could obliterate thousands with just a single brutal strike from his wings._

 _How was it that someone whose world was crumbling all around him moments ago was now further convinced that he'd make it through this? How could two brothers communicate with each other without uttering a word? How could a single loving touch heal wounds and soothe scars? How could a historically timid man suddenly have the ability to assume a leadership role? How could someone like me convince himself that things were going to get better from here on in?_

 _I knew in that moment that I didn't have to talk to Mario about the mind-control incident and the guilt it left in its wake. I knew that he understood. And I knew that the time had come to quit moping and feeling sorry for myself and drowning in "what if". It was time to let what was done be done and move on with my life. Rigor coursed through my veins at the thought of the battles ahead of us. I could do it. I was going to do it. I was going to make a stand against the fearsome, tyrannical Ruler of Subspace. I beat the mind control because I commanded and controlled by occasional feelings of envy toward my brother. My purity triumphed over evil. I was still alive. I had survived, though not entirely unscathed, from the encounter with my inner demons. And if I could survive that, then I could certainly survive a few rounds with that no-good blue bully!_

 _We journeyed on, Ness, me and DDD, reviving any Smashers we could find, friend, foe or otherwise. Life in Smash wasn't always rainbows and sunshine. We'd had our squabbles from time to time. But as I said before—we had to leave those little grudges behind if we wanted even the slightest chance of beating Tabuu._

 _Unfortunately, one old foe just didn't get it—_

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Luigi pauses at this next trophy. He knows the red hair, the bushy brows, the green, spiked shell and the rough skin, claws and horns. It's King Koopa. While they interact well while playing sports, racing in a double-dash kart tournament or competing in the traditional kart race—the hulking turtle continues to refer to the plumber as "Green 'Stache", "Greenie" or "Green Bean", among other nicknames, but never his real name. The job he'd done on him and Melee had has gained him a bit of respect from Koopa, but when he started teaming with Mario on his adventures—from regaining Peach's voice from Cackletta to time traveling and teaming with his and Mario's baby selves to literally taking on Fawful and the dreaded Dark Star X—Koopa had reverted to his old ways, even in moments when Luigi's loyalty, quick thinking and hidden courage saved the day.

For a tense moment, Luigi glares at the trophified Koopa, think of the Hell he's put him, Mario, Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom through. The name he's called him and the ways he's put him down. A brief shudder passes through him as he casts the anger away like ill-fitting clothes. He knows he shouldn't think of such things when Koopa is in as much danger as him.

But still—

He forces the thought away as he turns to DDD and Ness. "Do it," he simply says.

DDD does the honors, touching the base of the trophy and watching life return to Mario's eternal rival. But like a flash of lightning—

…Koopa attacks!

"DDD!" shouts Luigi as the penguin sprawls onto his back, blood on his face.

As Koopa stomps toward the fallen king, Luigi's eyes are hate-mad. "What was that for?!" he demands.

Koopa doesn't respond, ignores him as always. Luigi will have rushed him if not for Ness's arms holding him securely. DDD hops to his feet, his mallet raised in defense and defiance. "Oh, so you wanna fight?" he challenges. "Then, fine! Show me what you've got!"

Two titans, two universe villains, take each other on. DDD pounds with his mallet for all he's worth while Koopa continues slashing, kicking, slamming and spinning in his shell. Luigi fights against Ness's grip. He wants to jump in and help. Despite DDD slamming him hard in the back with that thing, Luigi wants to protect DDD and ward off Koopa's attack for him. The misunderstood king saved his life, and now Koopa's picking fights with him! That's simply uncalled for!

"Don't worry; he'll be all right," Ness assures him, but there's so much adrenaline flooding Luigi from all directions. He's inflamed each time DDD winces or cries out from his opponent's blows. Can't that stupid turtle see that this is no time for infighting?! However DDD offended him—it doesn't matter anymore!

Luigi has just broken free from Ness's hold when DDD defeats Koopa with a stunning blow from his mallet, turning the princess-snatcher back into a trophy. In half a heartbeat, the green-clad plumber is at DDD's side.

"DDD! Are you all right?" he asks.

"Never better," DDD says as Luigi tends to his wounds. "Enough of that. We have work to do."

Once again, the King of Dreamland revives Koopa. But before the turtle can start in again, DDD swats him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey!" Koopa yowls in protest.

"Get your [ _bleep_ ] together, Koopa!" snaps DDD. "I took the Princess from you, but I was trying to help her! Along with these two!" He indicates Ness and Luigi.

"DDD saved us," confirms Luigi, his eyes blazing into Koopa, "and don't even think about taking a crack at me, because I'm not in the mood for it right now. The Smashers are in trouble—including your pal Ganondorf!"

"He's not my pal anymore!" snaps Koopa. "He betrayed me!"

"Well, guess what? You two need to work something out, and quickly," Luigi snaps back. He then points to a crumpled and bloodied glove on the floor—Master Hand. "Do you see that? Do you see the one who brought us all together in the first place?! Even with his power, Tabuu did that to him—imagine what he can do to us! We need as many Smashers as we can to beat this guy. Now are you with us, or not?"

"Fine," huffs Koopa, "but if we get out of this alive, then I'm snatching the Princess."

"Over my dead body," Luigi crisply declares.

The trio then proceeds up the staircase to Tabuu's residence, leaving Koopa to ponder over this new information.

After a few dozen steps, the staircase levels off, and DDD spots a familiar pink puff tottering around. "Kirby?" he asks, cautiously.

Kirby turns. "Poyo!" he chirps happily.

"I have never been so happy to see you in my life!" gushes DDD, enveloping the Star Warrior in a bear hug. "I thought I was done for! You hear me! Done for! But these two saved me!"

"You saved us first, remember?" Ness pipes up as DDD cuddles his rival.

"Poyo, poyo," Kirby tells them.

"You swallowed one of them?" Luigi raises an eyebrow.

"Poyo, poyo, poyo, poyo, poyo, poyo, poyo, popoyo poyoyo poy poyo," explains Kirby.

"Koopa took Peach, and the brooch she was wearing fell off, and so you swallowed it." Ness shrugs. "Your appetite saved your life."

"Poyo, poyo, poyo poyoyo?" asks Kirby.

"We managed to revive the rest of them," Luigi assures him, "and we appreciate that you pitched in."

Kirby smiles. "Poyo poy."

DDD grabs Kirby's stubby appendage and drags him along to confront their common foe. "C'mon, Kirby," he says. "It's time for some clobbering!"

Ness and Luigi exchange a look and follow behind.

They pause at another staircase, where DDD lets Kirby go on ahead. "Look at that, you guys," he breathes to Luigi and Ness. "Little Kirby. I'm glad he's all right."

Luigi glances up the stairs. "There he is!" he exclaims, pointing to what appears to be a cluster of bubbles.

DDD and Ness also look up. "Darn right it is!" Ness says finally, "and he's got all of our worlds in his grasp!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" vows Luigi. "Come on! We gotta take our world back!"

"Well, then—why are we all standing there?" asks DDD. "Let's…"

Someone slams into him from the side.

It's Wario! And he doesn't look happy!

"Aw, yeah! Take that! And that!" growls Wario as he proceeds to pummel the blue penguin. "That'll teach you to go snatching my cargo!" For the final touch, he farts on him before kicking him away. "What do you got to say for yourself now, you thief?" His sadistic laughter dies, however, when he sees Ness and Luigi help DDD up.

"What? But how…" The last he saw of the psychic and the plumber, they were trophies— _his_ trophies! What are they doing re-animated?

Standing protectively beside DDD, Ness and Luigi offer Mr. Ravioli a look just begging him to mess with one of them. They're not about to let someone else attack their savior! Luigi, especially, has had enough of Wario's crap, just as he's had enough of Koopa's. Ness's face is stone, but Wario sees a bigger threat in Luigi's eyes. He's ready to spring for his throat if necessary.

"Thief? Who are you calling a thief?" Luigi icily challenges. "If anyone here is a thief, then it's you! DDD took me and Ness to save us! And you? You took Lucas and Peach for your own pleasure!"

PSI sparkles along Ness's fingers. He's face-to-face with the glutton who put Lucas— _his_ Lucas—in danger. Imagine how much PSI he can send into that fat, flabby body right now—how he can burn him up with PK Fire—perhaps use his Home Run Bat—

But Luigi has full command of the situation, eyes locked with Wario's, face fierce. He senses Ness's anger, along with his own, holding it deep in his chest. But their anger won't do any good. And even if Wario is greedy and annoying, he's a good fighter, and they can rely on him, his Chomp, his Wario Bike and his Wario Waft to win the day.

"I can't believe that you're throwing a tantrum over DDD's act of goodwill when we have impending disaster on our hands," Luigi continues, the look on his face making Wario shrink a size or two. "The theft of you 'cargo' is nothing compared to what we're facing right now. Look over there." He jabs a finger in the direction of the staircase. " _Look over there_!"

Wario frowns as DDD and Ness join Luigi in pointing. Are they pointing at his nose? What's on his nose? Curious, he starts to pick it.

"Behind you!" Luigi says sharply.

Wario swivels and looks at the looming staircase. "Oh," he says finally. "That's a doozy."

"So," concludes Luigi, "do you wanna stew and pout and attack people over stolen look and wind up under Tabuu's rule, or do you wanna put your issues aside and help us?"

"Uh—I—I'll help you," Wario says quickly. Anything is better than seeing that look on Luigi's face again. It scares the daylights out of him!

Luigi nods. "Good," he says before he and his two companions begin their resolute stride up the staircase.

But Wario still wants to get the last word in…

So…

He roars past them on his motorcycle, laughing, rocketing towards the captured worlds and stages—towards the biggest and most important battle in Smash history.

 **I typed this chapter in a dorm room at UC Davis during a residential week program. I will be moving into a UC Davis apartment this Friday, and my tenure as an Aggie officially begins next Wednesday!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Sticking Together

**Sticking Together**

 _With breath in the Smashers' bodies once more, all hope had been fully restored, and the time had now come to fight for our way of life, the future of our respective worlds, and the future of Super Smash Brothers._

 _It took a lot of persuasion, but soon, old animosities were left in the dust as heroes, heroines and villains prepared to face Tabuu together. Whatever danger they posed to each other was miniscule compared to the threat the ruler of Subspace posed. With him gone, at least they could get back to their conflicts. But if he won, then they wouldn't be able to._

 _Our first test came in the form of the Great Maze. Tabuu had called forth the fiends several of us faced previously, Petey Piranha, Porky, Rayquaza, Galleom, Duon, Ridley, and sicced them on those who dared rise up against him. In addition to these villains, Primids and other Subspace troops were stationed throughout the perilous route, ready to ambush us. The Great Maze also consisted of many treacherous pathways, doorways, false rooms and death traps. At least there were recovery rooms, denoted by orange doors, where we could replenish our health._

 _Due to the expanse of the Great Maze, we agreed to split into small groups to fool our enemies. Our plan was to have one group deal with one major villain, and then we'd all meet up at the entrance to Tabuu's lair. Kirby led one group, Mario led another group—and I led a group, as well._

 _Do you really think I'm not a leader? It would seem outwardly so, because I'm easily spooked. But believe it or not, I_ do _have the ability to lead. In some of our sports tournaments, I was team captain. During Team Brawls, I sometimes strategized with my teammate, regardless over how I felt about my ally personally. I'm not the cardboard sidekick everyone likes to visualize me as. In times of distress, my inner strength kicks in, allowing me to take charge of situations although I honestly feel the urge to run and hide. And that was certainly the case as I looked into the faces of DDD, Ness and my other teammates and psyched them up for a journey into Hell…_

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"I know that many of you are frightened by the labyrinthine void waiting before us. And I know for a fact that we will see things which will make our spines freeze and our bladders release. But I will not lie to you—I am also afraid. Not just afraid of what we're about to venture into, but also afraid of losing all of you—my very good friends. You just don't see that I'm afraid—and you won't—and neither will our enemies. Because although it may surprise me, it will take a lot to scare me nowadays. I mean, _really_ scare me, as in sending me cowering under my bed. But I'm not gonna cower under my bed for this. I'm not gonna let Tabuu turn the blood in my veins to ice because of his power. I'm not gonna turn tail and run for my life as soon as he shows his face—because of the crowd of Smashers standing before me today. Because of that man in red, standing over there. Because of that blond-haired woman in the pink dress. Because of that green dinosaur. And because of the elf, the bounty huntress, the Star Warrior, the Leader of Star Fox, the Electric Mouse, the PSI Powerhouse, the F-Zero racer, the Balloon-type, the Altean prince and because of every last Brawler on the roster. So help me God, I will protect you with my life.

"Seven years ago, when faced with something like this, then maybe I would've cowered under my bed. But seven years ago, I forced myself to keep it together until my brother was out of harm's way. Seven years ago, when a bullying reptile called me names, I stood up to him, even when he turned Giga, because I knew he was wrong. I have faced the unimaginable, and even though the unimaginable scared me, as long as lives were on the line, I would never back down.

"And you can bet that I'll never stand down now! I won't let the shadows consume me; I won't fall into the darkness! I am a Smasher, just as much as you! I am a survivor, just as much as you! I am a fighter, a warrior, a hero, a legend in my own right—just as much as you! And Tabuu will never—ever—take that away! He will see—when we force our way into his lair and stare him down, he'll see! We're legends and protectors! We're tough! We're gritty! We're unbreakable! We're stout-hearted! We're spirited! We're overcomers! And we will never walk quietly into the night! As long as our hearts beat—we will be the light! As Smashers, we will stick together, for better or worse! And Tabuu—no matter how hard he tries, he will never crumble the foundation of Super Smash Brothers! No matter how hard he tries, he will never stop us from rising up again and again! He'll take over the Smash World over all of our dead bodies!"

They hang onto his every word; onto his sapphire blue eyes as they flame, snap, crackle and pop. They hang onto his voice as it builds in enthusiasm and passion, as it rises and falls dramatically. They hang onto _him_ , his limber body quaking with emotion and contained energy, as he sends out this _warmth_ to counteract the terror trying to seize them. And they know that he means every word he says, and they want to believe him, to believe that everything will be all right and good will win. They're looking to him now. He's shaping up to be a very good leader, an effective leader. And he wants to prove himself as such, despite the fact that he, too, must be terrified. He _defies_ them to sneer at him and take a crack at his personality. He _defies_ them to challenge his qualifications as a Smasher, a hero and a leader. But as he speaks to them, they can see that he knows how to handle his fears and convert them into energy and determination. With each word leaping from his lips, the Great Maze seems less daunting. And they make a quiet vow to stick by their comrades—and to stick by the man in green. If Tabuu wants their tournament, then he's gonna have to kill them first!

"Yeah," says Ness. "If Tabuu wants a war, then he'll get one! Nothing's over until we say so, anyway!"

"He's right," chimes in DDD. "We're not gonna take this! Those Primids—they're dead meat! The Subspace Army—dead! Petey Piranha—dead! Galleom—dead! Duon—dead! Tabuu— _double_ dead!"

"There's also the chance that we might not make it out alive," Luigi continues. "I cannot lie about that. But if that's the case, then I will be honored to die with you, because I will die defending all of you—defending what Smash symbolizes. Strength. Brilliance. Honor. Integrity."

"Ditto, L," Fox says quietly.

"Are all of you with me?" asks Luigi.

Marth unsheathes Falchion. "To the death," he replies in Japanese.

"To the death," Lucario says solemnly.

"To the death," Ness and Lucas say as one.

"To the death," says DDD.

Fox simply nods. "To the death."

DDD and Ness step forward and slip their hands into Luigi's as they step into the Great Maze. Fox, Marth, Lucas, Lucario, Falco and Ike resolutely follow.

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The blue humanoid smirks as he studies the green-clad plumber psyching up his precious friends before leading them into the Great Maze. "That's right. Come, little man," he says in an echoing, ominous voice, like waves crashing on a distant shore. "Come and let me feed your flesh to my Subspace troops and use your bones to build my castle. I will sip your blood from a golden chalice and treat it as holy wine for my subjects to drink their loyalty to me. I will keep your clothes and silly hat so I can remember your scent, so I can remember how it felt slowly draining your life from your body. Come, green one, and see if you can stand a ghost of a chance against me."

So, this is Luigi, the cowardly hero. He's definitely not what Tabuu expected to see. No—this man has spirit, scrappiness, spunk! He's not going down without a proper fight! Ah, yes—Tabuu is looking forward to their battle, so seeing this plumber's feistiness up close and personal. Luigi is by far the feistiest Smasher on the roster—which will make him the most enjoyable for Tabuu to break.

 **More to come!**


	6. Journey into the Maze

**Journey into the Maze**

 _Cowardliness had no place here._

 _After he captured our worlds into numerous giant dark bubbles, Tabuu had colonized them with his troops. There were Primids, Buckots, Jyks, familiar foes like Goombas and Hammer Bros, and hazards like lavas, spikes and mines. At the heads of these troops were his generals, bosses encountered earlier in the adventure. Petey Piranha. Duon. Porky. Ridley. Meta Ridley. Galleom. Rayquaza. And Tabuu had tied all of it up into a gigantic maze._

 _The Great Maze._

 _Not only that, but Tabuu also used the Shadow Bugs to assemble new clones—False Smashers. These shadowy doppelgangers had greenish outlines on their bodies and glowing eyes that you'll never forget. With our copied appearances came our copied fighting styles, with a few tweaks here and there. They surprise us whenever we ventured through red doors. We could never know what was behind those doors. A Subspace general, or a False Smasher. And they weren't about to make things easy for us. The generals had powerful weapons—cages, lasers, tail lashes, pouncing and tackling, pincers, claws, fangs—to name a few. Our False Selves were insanely powered up, but not to the point of being unbeatable. We could always figure out flaws in their design._

 _Recall, we were in groups, so all of us didn't have to face all the bosses. Mario and his group faced Petey and Rayquaza. Kirby and his group, lucky them, only had to face Galleom. That left Duon, Porky, Ridley and Meta Ridley. They were the meanest and most bloodthirsty of the generals, and my group took down all four of them._

 _That was fine with me. I was up to the challenge. I couldn't wait to give those four the beating of their lives, especially after what Porky did to Ness and Lucas. I remember them approaching us on the field, sneering at me, saying that I was pathetic and a squirt and that my defeat was inevitable. Laughing at me and calling me names, trying to throw the Chaos Heart kerfuffle into my face. Like they knew everything about that. Those scoundrels tried everything they could to end the fight before the first punch was thrown._

 _I didn't say a word to them as they spat their reproaches at me. I just stood there, staring deep into their souls, driving home the fact that I wasn't going to run away. I wasn't just part of a team; I was a team leader now, with one third of the Smashers looking to me for guidance and strength. And at the same time, I looked to them for support and aid and trust. If I could trust them to rush to my aid when needed, I wouldn't be afraid. If each Smasher in my group could contribute to the resistance, then I wouldn't be afraid. And I could feel those Smasher crowd beside me, backing me up, as I glared at our enemies. I spoke with my eyes and later my fists, injecting every drop of my energy and loyalty to my comrades into the fight, making the generals wish to whatever higher power they answered to that they could take back their wicked words about me._

 _Cowardliness had no place in the Great Maze._

 _Believe me, I wasn't without fear. I was suppressing it, and it was so easy to do with thoughts of the Smashers journeying with me. Thoughts of Ness, his eyes glittering in anticipation of a match against Porky, his arm linked with Lucas. Thoughts of DDD, who did things he wasn't proud of in the past but ultimately saved me, and in turn, saved everyone else. Thoughts of little Kirby, venturing with his own party, facing Galleom and hordes of smaller Subspace enemies. And thoughts of Mario, also in the bowels of this maze, praying and worrying for me as I prayed and worried for him._

 _It was cold in here. It was dark. It was hostile and infested. It looked like parts of our universes, but it wasn't. But I dared not think about it. I concentrated instead on the warmth radiating from my chest, the warmth from the many positive thoughts snuggled comfortably in there. Knowing that these Smashers were with me as I was with them. Knowing that with our combined powers, we could win. Knowing that if death came for us, then we would be ready._

 _Cowardliness had no place in the fight for our lives._

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The twenty-plus Smasher have now divvied themselves into three groups, with Mario, Kirby and Luigi as the leaders. Each group will traverse a different area of the Maze before meeting up at the entrance to Tabuu's residence. Hopefully, these groups would cross paths at some point in the treacherous quest. But in case they don't, they make sure that they're well-armed and well-provisioned.

"Poyo," says Kirby, his blue eyes flitting from one Mario Bro to the other, and they know what he's trying to say. Mario steps over to the fluffball and takes an appendage in his gloved hand.

"Thank you, Kirby," he says, "for helping me."

Kirby nods, knowing that he may not see this plumber again. He drinks in his face, his moustache and his eyes, before jumping into his arms.

"Poyo…" he whispers.

Mario kisses Kirby on the cheek before gently setting him down. The Star Warrior then totters over to Luigi and hugs him, too.

"Poyo, poyo," he says quietly. "Poyo, poyo, poyo."

"Don't worry, Kirby," smiles Luigi. "I'll live to see him to the end of this."

Kirby steps away, gives the plumbers one final nod, and puffs off into the unknown as his teammates follow.

Emotions swirl between the Bros as they gaze intently at each other. Love. Devotion. Concern.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Mario asks finally.

"I have the same question about you," Luigi responds.

Mario allows a wan smile. "I've braved worse than this."

"And so have I."

"Lu, I'll be fine, I promise," says Mario. "I just can't stop thinking about what they'll do to you."

"I'm not that easy for enemies to break, Mario. You should know that by now," Luigi assures him in a gentle voice. "I'm stronger than you realize."

Mario's lip quivers. " _Ti amo_ ," he manages to say.

Luigi nods. " _Ti amo anache_ ," he says, crossing the short distance between them.

Mario grabs him them, holding him tight against his chest. "Swear to me," he says in a quivering voice, "that you'll be there at the end of this Maze, ready to fight Tabuu. Swear it to me."

"You have my word," murmurs Luigi, keeping his big bro pressed to his own chest. He doesn't want to let go. He feels so safe and sheltered in Mario's arms. But he must. He has a destiny to fulfil. He has lives to guard. He's a leader now…

Slowly, they come out of the hug, gazing into each other's eyes. Luigi covertly blinks back his tears while Mario makes no move to hide his own.

"Be safe," entreats Mario.

Luigi nods, wiping away Mario's tears. "Be strong," he retorts. "They're counting on you. _I'm_ counting on you."

"I'm counting on _you_." Mario kisses Luigi on the cheek. "Be well, my little brother…"

"Good luck, Big Bro…"

Mario watches his baby bro as he leads his team away. He notices his squared shoulders and his purposeful gait. And that's when he knows—Luigi isn't going to back down on this. He's not going to change his mind. He's not going to run or hide. He's going to fight.

He waits until Luigi and his party are a tiny speck in the distance. Then, he turns to his own team. "Let's-a go!" he shouts.

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Luigi leads his team deep into the heart of the Great Maze, investigating doors and portals, traversing perilous structures and battling enemies. On his left side walks Ness, smacking his Home Run Bat against his palm, daring some scoundrel to just try and hurt his friend. And on his right is DDD, his mallet over his shoulder, his face set. Their presence serves to heighten Luigi's resolve and to further discourage him from turning back. He smiles as they link arms with him. They make him feel so _warm_. Mario's brotherly embrace still lingers, as well, his strong arms around him, his gloved hands on his shoulder blades. Knowing that he understands what he went through and that he doesn't blame him—having his support—he doesn't need anything more in this moment. He will survive this and continue to fight and to protect and to love.

Small armies of Subspace troops greet them every so often—the meanest, toughest ones in the bunch. The Smashers stand tall and brandish their weapons, but the opposition all but ignores them in favor of Luigi. He'll be an easy one. Humph—they wish! They gain two additional enemies to deal with; Ness holds his bat at the ready, and DDD pulls his hammer back, ready to strike. And Luigi—he's not shirking at all, sleeves rolled up and fists raised, his eyes penetrating and accepting the challenge.

When the enemies leap forward, they're unprepared for the resistance which awaits. A sharp battle cry bursts from Luigi's lips as he meets the charge, beginning the assault with green fireballs here and there and switching to his notoriously hard-hitting blows once he deems them softened up. At first, he lets his fists and feet fly into someplace random, letting them taste what he has and offering the chance to reconsider. But when they regroup and come back for him, he decides to stop fooling around with them and injects maximum power into his attacks. Shouting, he pelts the intimidating ranks with vicious, crushing punches and knifehand strikes, reverberating kicks and his signature karate chops before attacking clusters with his Cyclone move and toppling them with a Green Missile, always aiming for the misfire. He sees Ness taking on two formidable troops with his PSI, and DDD smashing his mallet as hard as he can into the first attacker catching his eyes. The altruistic king also sends out Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos and Gordos into the battle. Others begin to force the troops to confront them as well, with Falchion and Ragnell dancing in the dim light, Aura pulsing into the bodies of Primids and lasers flying. They're not gonna just stand there and let three people do the grunt work. They need to risk their lives, too!

But Luigi, Ness and DDD are the once who cause the most devastation. The combined power among the three is impressive, indeed. But the truly lethal Smasher is Luigi, especially when he hears a comrade yell in pain. Once, he finds Ness on the floor with a bloody face and a Shaydas towering over him, and within seconds, the enemy is reduced to scrap.

The battles are over quickly, though, with superficial injuries for the Smashers. It's the boss battles which require healing items. First up is Duon, firing lasers more powerful than Fox and Falco and rolling across the stage attempting to crush them. The Smashers quickly spread out, making them harder to get, and they try to stay out of the range of the lasers. Luigi lands the first successful hit—an impressive smash attack in one of Duon's weak spots. He's soon leaping all over the creature with ferocious aerial attacks, unafraid to air-dodge when dual laser beams come his way. When it gets too much, he lands on the ground and utilizes nothing but smash attacks, fireballs and special moves. Ness and DDD move in close after Luigi is sent staggering. Marth gets a few strategic slashes on Duon, and Ike performs an Aether or two. Fox and Falco provide cover fire. It only takes less than a minute for Luigi to recover from the surprise attack, and his facial expression makes Duon back up several inches. The plumber wipes blood from his mouth and anticipates another attack, which he dodges. As Duon finishes the move, Luigi executes a stylish leap at him before nailing him with a brutal uppercut!

Duon immediately falls apart, Luigi glaring coldly at the sparking wreckage. He offers one last kick for good measure before he and his team continue onward.

They find themselves back at the ruined zoo, where Porky awaits. Ness bites his lip to the point he draws blood, his eyes betraying the sheer anger he feels. Luigi takes his hand, silently telling him to stay focused. Ness squeezes painfully for a few seconds, and then his grip eases as his fury ebbs. Lucas stands beside him, straight and tall, swallowing his own apprehension to defend his friend. His time with Red has made him stronger, smarter and better able to confront his fears.

Porky advances on them from inside his machine, and the Smashers pounce on him, assailing the mechanical menace. Marth and Ike slash at the pincers while the rest go for the body. PSI zings from Lucas and Ness and into the contraption, making it go haywire. Then, the blonde grabs his stick and the brunette grabs his bat to hammer away.

"Look out!"

Luigi pushes the two boys out of the way as Porky lashes out with his pincers. He catches the plumber instead and decides to teach him a little lesson for denying him his prey. But Luigi gathers himself, gets up and mounts an offensive, slamming his fists into the machine so hard that the glass cracks. He tops off with a few breakdance sweeps, open hand stabs and finally a Missile. Porky topples over, allowing the young psychics to finish him off with a dual PK Thunder.

"Don't ever come near them again!" Luigi orders the cowed Porky, trapped in his machine and unable to escape.

"You took a blow for me," breathes Ness. "Thank you."

"We're friends," says Luigi, "and we look out for each other."

They find a checkpoint to heal from their wounds and contemplate their next move. At each checkpoint is a digital projection of the maze, telling them their current location, where the major bosses are located, and their distance from the maze's exit. They also see the progress of the other teams.

"Just hold on, Bro," murmurs Luigi as he studies the dot which denotes Mario's group. "Just hold on. I'll come back to you."

"Hey," says DDD.

"Oh. Hey, DDD," Luigi says quietly, taking a seat.

"You look a bit troubled," says Ness. "A Mr. Saturn for your thoughts?"

"These bosses are singling me out, and I know why," Luigi tells them. "They _want_ me to run away. They want me to scream and fall on my knees and beg for mercy. They want me to cry out for Mario to save me. I guess word travels fast." He laughs humorlessly. "They don't know the flip side to that coin. They don't see me when someone I love is in danger. They don't see me in Team Battles when my ally is under fire. They don't _see_ me. Well— _now_ they're paying attention. _Now_ they're seeing. Perhaps Tabuu himself will make the mistake of underestimating me."

"I don't think so," cautions Ness. "I'm sure his lackeys are reporting to him as we speak. He's getting ready for a big fight."

Luigi hops up. "Then we just can't sit around, can we?"

The team regroups and continues its trek.

"Are you worried about him?" asks Ness, and Luigi knows who he's referring to.

"Very. I can't help but wonder if he's okay."

"He's saved the world before," says DDD.

"This is different," says Luigi. "These enemies—they won't exercise restraint. They're going to seriously hurt him. And if we lose this battle, then we don't get a continue."

"He has faith in you," counsels Ness. "Can you have faith in him?"

"I have faith in him—but what if…?"

"He's going to be fine. You're keeping him going, just like he's keeping you going," says DDD.

Luigi smiles gratefully at the two. Having that talk has been quite beneficial.

It shows when they confront Ridley in the research facility. Ridley is a tough opponent; no wonder Samus has dedicated herself to finally beating him. He attacks with his wings, teeth, head and tail, occasionally creating a wind which pushes the fighters back or crashing down on a random person. More spirit is in Luigi's cries, they notice, and as he attacks the space pirate's flank, it appears that a dead weight has lifted from him. He goes for Ridley's footwork with repeated down smash attacks which drain buckets of his foe's energy. Finally, as the monster swats at the others like flies, Luigi straightens and slams body blows into his chest and ribs, launching himself directly into Ridley's middle. Marth does a Shield Breaker, Ike follows with a powerful slash from Ragnell, and the space pirate leader is done.

That is, until he comes back as Meta Ridley. Due to his metallic exoskeleton, he's tougher to face. Still, Luigi batters away until his knuckles are split, and then batters harder. Items like Beam Swords and Gust Bellows drop down to assist. However, they're hardly needed. Swords and lasers easily cleave Meta Ridley's armor, and Ness and Lucas aim precise PSI attacks at exposed skin. DDD's heavy mallet makes a few notable dents, as do Lucario's Aura-based attacks. They all seem like love taps in comparison to what Luigi gives. And he gives back what he takes from Meta Ridley. Even though the beast screeches at him, Luigi remembers Ness's and DDD's words to him. He's thinking about Mario, taking on similar bosses and fretting over _his_ safety and health. He's imagining the light going out of his eyes as he realizes that he didn't make it. He envisions him standing there, waiting for him with hopeful blue eyes. And his own blue eyes glare darkly at Meta Ridley as he lunges once more, attacking and not daring to stop, sidestepping and shielding any counterattacks and maintaining his footing whenever Meta Ridley shakes the stage. The others take heart from his efforts and double their own attacks despite their harsh breathing.

"I'm coming, Bro," whispers Luigi. "I'll be right there waiting for you…"

He spins into Meta Ridley several times and lets himself fly into his ribcage, powered up by the cries of his friends behind him. He strings his powerful combos together, a trademark tool of his since the very beginning. His fists glow as he swings them up to smash into Meta Ridley's chin. He throws hooks, starting at the head and working his way down the massive body. He roundhouse kicks, kicks low, flip kicks, and jump kicks before corkscrewing downward, drilling his feet into the top of Meta Ridley's head. Lucario, now at Max Aura, uses his powers to hold the villain in place while everyone else uses him as a Smashing bag, Luigi's blows growing angrier and angrier. Until finally, he bends his elbow and knifes his hand into Meta Ridley, sending him into oblivion.

"That was for you, Bro!" he exclaims as Ness and DDD rush over to calm him down.

"You did good, L," praises Ness. "You did good."

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He watches from the safety of his residence as Luigi leads his team to impressive victories over his generals. In each one, he gives more and more, rising to the occasion rather than hanging back with his tail tucked between his legs. He's the one protecting the other Smashers instead of the other way around. He shouts the loudest and attacks the hardest, his eyes animated gems. It appears that Tabuu has jumped to conclusions over this one. He's going to face one heck of a fight from the man in green! He welcomes the thought, welcomes the prospect. He wants to taste what Luigi is made of and then have his fun breaking him as slowly and painfully as possible. What if he took his dear brother from him? Picking off everything he prides himself in fighting for will be the best way to destroy him. He'll make his heart bleed as well as his body!

"Good luck getting past the False Smashers I have waiting for you," he giggles as Luigi determinedly presses forward, deeper into the labyrinth. "You'll need it!"

 **Please review.**


	7. Shadows and Light

**Shadows and Light**

 **Edited at the behest of SolarEnergy07.**

 _Fear is a stubborn emotion. No matter what, it always tries to seep back into a person's nerves. At inopportune moments, it taps its victims on the shoulder with a cold finger, and it's all they can do to ignore it. They fight it—repel it—but it always keeps wandering back. Its greatest vessel is panic, for it wipes away every battle plan and makes the body shut down a little. Panic is contagious, spreading from one person to the other. And once panic shuts down defense mechanisms, it's easy for fear to slip back inside._

 _Imagine, if you will, thirty-five shadowy creatures standing between you and the villain you wish to fight. All of them in the likenesses of your closest friends, and even you. Walking like you, talking like you, even snatching your voice and mannerisms along the way. Yes, they even fight like you, but about five times stronger, for the being who engineered them is above cheating. All thirty-five of them staring at you with, hollow, glowing, green eyes, advancing on you. This is a good situation for panic to strike._

 _Yet when I was in that situation, panic didn't strike me._

 _Well, it almost did, but it didn't. Would panic get us past them? No._

 _But staring at them, copying everything about the people I'd come to know, was_ infuriating _. White hot waves of anger flowed through my body, and I focused it all on the False Smashers before me. That humanoid tyrant had the_ gall _to mimic the Super Smash Brothers? He_ dared _to try and desecrate the sanctity of our bonds? He had the_ temerity _to laugh in our faces by dreaming up these clones to try and defeat us and then live in his twisted vision of a perfect world? All of them just made me downright_ enraged _._

 _The False Princesses smiled angelically and daintily waved at us. False Kirby puffed forward a few inches and greeted us with that elongated "Hii!" False Falcon dared us to show our moves. False DDD started dancing around, and False Ness waved happily as if we were old chums. And then there was a false copy of my brother, blowing me a kiss. Mocking me. Fire and lightning were in my blood. My fists clenched so tightly that they hurt, and my breath came out in terse bursts. Tabuu was going to get it now. Mimicking my friends was one thing, but mimicking Mario was a worse offense._

 _The shadowy clones charged at us. My dukes were up. I was ready to fight. The first False Smasher I saw was going to be Super Smashed to kingdom come. We ran forward to meet the charge. But just as we reached each other, we were all warped away—_

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Luigi finds himself in a purple room. Everything is quiet. The other Smashers are gone. Did something happen? He must get out of here! He must find them! He must…

He remembers something. The False Smashers, confronting them as they reach the end of the Great Maze. The way Tabuu has made exact copies of everyone. His fury converting into much-needed strength as he leads the Smashers in charging against their false selves. And the clones quickly teleporting the Smasher they copied to a different area upon contact.

That must mean—

He whirls around, eyes hardening as he spots his false self, lounging across from him.

"Hey, how's it going?" asks False Luigi, giving his opponent a lazy wave.

"Like you care," replies Luigi. "What have you done with my friends?"

"That's easy. You're all going to fight one-on-one battles against your respective shadowy clones—yours truly in your case. If you beat us, then you'll continue. If not…" A sinister smile quirks his face.

Luigi steps forward, glaring at False Luigi. "For my clone, you obviously don't know everything about me," he says quietly.

"Ah, but Tabuu's had his eye on you. He knew enough to create me," smirks False Luigi. "So, you have powerful attacks, huh? Well, Tabuu programmed them right into me—with a little extra kick. And by a little, I mean a lot. See how strong you really are after _that_."

Luigi's jaw flexes, but he remains silent. He knows that his opponent is trying to rile him. All his opponents try to rile him. He advances closer to False Luigi and begins a pre-battle breathing exercise.

His opponent falls silent and allows him to size him up. He zeroes in on his blue eyes as he clinically looks him up and down, the pupils dilating slightly. There's sweat on his forehead, possibly from his fights with the big bosses. He can't help but smile at the damage the generals managed to inflict on him. Then, Luigi draws his tongue about his lips once, and then again, his diaphragm expanding and contracting with his deep breaths. Feeling his false self's eyes searing into him and meeting the gaze. Thinking about the first time he dealt with a clone, nine years ago. This shadowy being poses a greater threat than the other one. But both clones haven't failed to stoke a passionate blaze inside of him.

He stops thinking about the past and about his current, cunning foe. Continuing to dress him down with his eyes, memorizing every centimeter of that shadowy body. Ignoring the sinister light in those green eyes. Ignoring how this clone reminds him of the person _the count_ and his nerdy assistant turned him into last year. Because he's grown from that. Ever since DDD's badges revived him, he's refused to let the incident tear him down.

Both men have their fists up. Luigi rounds his lips and continues to breathe at that special pace, staying focused. Sounds of other battles echo around them. Their scents permeate the small room, one smelling of pure evil and the other smelling of cologne, aftershave and epinephrine. Luigi feels the lightning in his chest and the fire along his navel, and he welcomes it. He has full command of the fire and lightning; the rage threatening to consume him is now tamed. And its target is locked on False Luigi.

FL cracks a smile. "Shall we dance?" he asks before aiming a blow at his enemy.

But Luigi blocks, his other arm swiftly knifing through the air and into the shadowy body. It doesn't feel like clothing or flesh. He—can't describe what it feels like. But he's soothed by the pain telegraphing on FL's face. He's not invincible or immortal, thank God. Yet he's strong.

Quickly, FL composes himself and throws fireballs at Luigi. None of them hit; Luigi is a fluid dodger. He takes a chance, darts in close and delivers several furious body blows before finishing with a roundhouse kick. FL spins toward him, but he vaults out of the way, covering the retreat with fireballs. He crouches and kicks low with his heel, tripping FL, and then he grabs him, slams him down and starts one of his aggressive combos. Eventually, however, FL DI's away.

They circle each other. Sweat twinkles on Luigi's face. His eyes _brew_. His breath quickens, but only from exertion. He lets out a long exhale before deftly flicking out more fireballs, keeping FL spaced and considering his next move. When he sees his foe shielding, inspiration strikes. He crouches down and flies across the room, slamming into the shield and breaking it.

FL moans and staggers, dizzy. Luigi doesn't waste time celebrating; he goes right in with his vicious Smash attacks. Then, FL recovers and decides he's had enough. A cold, shadowy fist crashes into Luigi's face, followed by two more, and then a flip kick blasts into his chin. He feels himself leaving the ground and tries to DI away before FL can combo up on him. But FL reads the DI and batters him with karate chops before sending him to the floor with a down aerial and proceeding to beat him mercilessly with his own attacks. Luigi quickly ends the offensive streak with a Cyclone, mashing into him with multiple hits, and then kicks him away.

FL gets up and blasts into Luigi with a Missile, smirking internally as the air rapidly escapes him. The plumber bends in two and falls over onto his back, struggling to breathe. That's when FL releases his true fury, peppering the supine form with unforgiving blows before straightening up and kicking him several times where it counts.

"Give up, hotshot," FL smirks. "There's no way you can beat me!"

"That's what you think," retorts Luigi, blindsiding his opponent with a strong breakdance sweep before getting up and returning every punch and kick he's just endured. He then decides to quit playing nice and unloads a bigger volley of Smash attacks on FL's chest, belly, torso and diaphragm. He hopes to fracture his jaw, break his nose or crack his ribs. He hopes to send this clone and his clone buddies back where they've come from. He shoves the anger back down and focuses on the precision of his blows, the best areas of impact on FL's body. Blocking, striking, dodging. Jumping. In the air, he hacks relentlessly with his f-air and tries to get the d-air spike. But that's hard to do when you opponent mimics your battle strategy!

FL gets the spike more often, and Luigi's never realized how much it truly hurts. Sure, MH conjures up a friendly "ditto" for him to practice with, but FL has been blessed with greater strength. The drilling feet slam him hard against the ground, causing whiteness to explode before his eyes for a few seconds. He bounces back up, enabling FL to give him a taste of his own medicine with those combos. But Luigi's frame withstands it all, and he always rises, glaring defiantly at FL, and throws a punch which turns the tide.

Ferociously, they battle. FL's crushing strikes clash with Luigi's sharp, calculated ones. The latter begins to grow breathless, but breathlessness isn't an option here. He can feel the sweat on his body. He can feel the pain trying to invade him. He can feel the green eyes flaring into him. But he can also feel the optimism of the other Smashers, the optimism which he, DDD and Ness instilled. He can't take that optimism away! Now, he fights as if the others are watching him, praying for him to make it through. His battle cries join the chorus of other battle cries as the Smashers heatedly engage their own false selves. He slides, ducks and leaps over his opponent's attacks, attacking the sides and the face as well as the core. He dances, backflips and cartwheels. Fists and feet don't stop flying. He throws fireballs to bait and put shield pressure on. His voice animates the battleground as he yells, louder and louder. The light in FL's green eyes begins to dim, and he's showing signs of pain and exhaustion. But his blows continue to hit hard, especially his Super Jump Punch! Luigi takes many of them to his face and jaw, and he's awed at FL's nerve. Only he's allowed to throw a Weegee Shoryuken!

Now, FL finds himself in Luigi's grip. The green-capped hero pulls his clone close. His jaw is tightly clenched, his eyes spark dangerously, and his chest heaves as he catches his breath. He defies FL to smirk at the large bruises he's left on him. Blood spills from his nose and mouth and from the gashes on his face and body. His hold on his opponent is iron. Perspiration cleanses his face of the blood, silently streaking downwards. His tongue catches stray sweat droplets. And he examines False Luigi, just as banged up.

"You may look like me, but you'll never _be_ me," he says evenly. "Tabuu gave you extra kick, but there's a lot he _didn't_ give you. Love. Loyalty. Devotion. A sense of justice. Honor. Confidence. Courage. Strength. Hope. You exist only to crush and destroy. But I'm here to defend, and no matter how strong he made you, you can never change that."

"But—but…" stammers False Luigi. "You can't beat me. You're just a cowardly second banana!"

Luigi puts his mouth to his opponent's ear. "I'm not a cowardly second banana," he whispers softly. "I'm the King of Second Bananas."

Powerfully, Luigi heaves FL down one last time before landing two powerful Smash attacks on him, launching him out of the room.

"I did it," he murmurs as his respirations fall back to a normal pace. "I actually did it. The shadows came for me—and I beat them back. I—never imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd do that."

He spots a Heart Container and quickly takes it, healing his wounds. A door opens where False Luigi stood. There's some light pouring in. Light greeting him after fighting the shadows. Smiling, Luigi steps through the door.

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Sweat and blood are in DDD's eyes, the hammer heavy in his hand as he glares at False DDD. The clone smirks back at him, twirling his hammer with easy. The two have battled for close to ninety minutes, DDD throwing everything he has at his false self, but with shockingly little results. False DDD is relatively unscathed, which can't be said for DDD. But the King of Dreamland steels himself against the pain and fires his clone a look that can kill. "You won't win today!" he vows.

"Oh, is that so?" retorts FDDD. "Tabuu left your beloved leader a bloodied, torn-up mess on the ground. I'm hardly breaking a sweat, while you're struggling to stay on your feet. Face it, DDD—nobody can defeat us."

"That's what you think," snaps DDD, "but we're Smashers, and Smashers stick together!"

FDDD laughs. "Stick together, you say? Was that your mindset when you were off turning people into trophies, along with that turtle, that Gerudo and that greedy biker?"

DDD reddens. "I had just reasons for what I was doing," he says firmly. "I wasn't with them. Their motives were selfish, but mine weren't!"

"Oh, that's rich coming from a self-proclaimed king," sniffs FDDD. "You've stolen food, stolen the Star Rod, terrorized that poor little pink puffball with monsters—your little spiel is hypocrisy at its finest!"

"Those days are behind me," snaps DDD, "and I broke the Star Rod to protect my domain from Nightmare! Sure, I made business transactions with NME to terrorize Kirby, but I was a greedy, selfish and jealous jerk back then! Kirby and I reached an understanding, and he helped me get into this tournament! There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about what I've done—and I swear, I'll make up for it!"

"Good luck doing that once I've beaten you into the ground," FDDD says menacingly, "and once I'm done with you, I'm going to pay Kirby a little visit!"

DDD brandishes his hammer, energized once more. "Not while I'm still standing!" he cries, pulling back and slamming it into his clone with devastating force.

False DDD falls to the floor, stunned, and has just sit up when DDD sends a Gordo his way. The spikes slice into FDDD; he roars in agony. He gets up and charges at DDD, but he dodges quickly and sends the hammer into his chin, cracking his jaw. He then follows up with a blow to the face, and then twirls the hammer, delivering multiple strikes to the chest. FDDD recovers and throws Gordos and Waddle Dees at his clone, but DDD evades most of them. Next, DDD sucks FDDD into his mouth and spits him back out, draining a sufficient amount of energy from him. FDDD pounces with the Super DDD Jump, only to miss and slam into the ground. His rear aches terribly. DDD takes advantage with a dash attack, followed by a few Smash attacks, an aerial bodyslam and finally a Super DDD Jump of his own. FDDD is disoriented, so DDD doesn't stop there. He chain-grabs and pummels his clone before using aerial attacks to force him off the stage and attempting to meteor him with the SDJ. However, FDDD snaps out of it and fires off a Gordo which disrupts DDD's rhythm.

DDD manages to get back onto the stage, but FDDD has it in for him. He throws out some more Gordos before proceeding to roll over his clone like a juggernaut and pound him mercilessly with his hammer. When DDD crumples, FDDD sucks him in, waddles over to the stage, and spits him out, hoping to send him to his doom.

No dice.

DDD pulls himself up, performing an edge attack. He now knows what he must do. Bringing his hammer up to his shoulder, DDD begins charging it up. Boosters appear from the rear of the hammer and quickly ignite. FDDD isn't stupid, he's heard about the Jet Hammer and knows the impact it will leave on him. And he's damaged enough to be knocked off the stage.

Slowly, FDDD begins to back away. "You don't have to do this," he pleads.

DDD doesn't listen, feeling the jets reaching full power.

"Listen to me—we can work together," appeals FDDD. "Imagine what our combined powers can do for this world!"

"I will never join this evil cause," says DDD. "Never again will I join the dark side!"

Whirring fills the air as the Jet Hammer reaches maximum power, DDD struggling to hold on.

"And you will never—ever—hurt Kirby!"

With a mighty grunt, DDD swings, striking home at the center of FDDD's body. Screaming, he flies off the stage and into the blast zone.

In the distance, a door opens. Contentedly, DDD takes a Heart Container and walks through it. _That clone tried to tempt me_ , he thinks, _and he failed_.

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"PK Thunder!"

Ness concentrates hard as he aims his thunder attack at False Ness. And it's a direct hit! False Ness's body spams with the electricity, and he falls to his knees. The psychic storms over and fires a current of PSI, knocking his clone onto his back.

"Impressive," False Ness murmurs.

"You haven't seen anything yet," growls Ness as he grips False Ness in a telekinetic hold and executes his infamous back throw. False Ness uses PK Thunder to get back onto the stage and then charges at Ness.

Ness smiles as he takes out his yo-yo. Just as False Ness reaches him, he puts on a one-man demonstration of his yo-yo tricks. Walk the dog. Around the world. This yo-yo hits hard, and given the force and speed with which Ness swings it, physics can tell you how badly it hurts False Ness. The yo-yo has knocked out a molar or two, broken his nose and covered his face and body with bruises. Ness combines the walk the dog trick with a low kick to trip his foe. False Ness rolls to his feet, only to see a blue-green pulse above him.

"PK Flash!" shouts Ness.

The energy slams hard into False Ness, laying him out to dry. Then, Ness grabs him, slams him down and forces him backward with hot blasts of PSI.

"Oof!" he grunts as False Ness kicks him and escapes the combo. Luckily, he's ready for the barrage of PK Fire with his PSI Magnet, absorbing the projectiles and healing him. Does False Ness know that spamming PK Fire isn't going to solve his problems? Ah, well. He'll find out the hard way.

Ness lets his clone spam PK Fire until he grows tired. Then, he goes in for the kill. He lets fly with his PSI, effortlessly throwing False Ness around with his psychic powers. When he's not using PSI, he's punching, kicking or using his yo-yo. When False Ness puts up his shield, Ness grabs a nearby Mr. Saturn and lobs it at him, breaking it. Glaring hard at his foe, Ness hefts his baseball bat and brings it up to his shoulder. He focuses his strength, resentment, rage and energy on his clone. He squeezes the bat tightly. And once he's built up enough power—he swings.

 _ **SMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!**_

False Ness wails pathetically as he flies into oblivion.

In False Ness's wake is a door, which slides open. Ness smooths the wrinkles from his shirt, grabs a Heart Container and leaves the area to meet up with the other Smashers.

 _We've got this_ , he thinks.

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One by one, the Smashers stumble out of the rooms where they've done battle with their clones. They waste no time regrouping, seeking out their closest friends for reassurance that they're okay. Lucas practically throws himself into Ness's arms. Kirby puffs over to DDD and curls up against his frenemy's chest with a soft "Poyo". Then, he goes to Mario and interrupts his animated conversation with Link by alighting onto his red cap.

"Kirby!" Mario exclaims. "Have you seen…?"

"M, I'm sure he's okay," Link gently breaks in. "I mean, after what he's been through last year, this must be a cinch, right?"

"We shouldn't give up hope," adds Fox. "He's helped us get to this point. Surely, he isn't throwing in the towel now."

"Look! Over there!" Samus pipes up.

Heads turn as one final door opens, revealing Luigi. He looks beaten and exhausted, yet a triumphant smile is on his face.

"L!" Ness runs up to him. "You're alive!"

"And so are you," Luigi breathes in relief, hugging his psychic friend.

"Those False Smashers were tough," gasps DDD, "but I guess we were tougher!"

"We were," nods Luigi. He turns to the other Smashers, wrung out from battling their respective clones. "And let me tell you something. We're not just a whole bunch of characters from different franchises. We're the Super Smash Brothers. We're gonna confront Tabuu, fight him—and win."

Mario nods. "Well said, Bro!"

Energy courses through each Smasher's veins as they exit the Great Maze and enter Tabuu's lair…

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"I knew those False Smashers wouldn't hold you," he murmurs as he watches Luigi finish off his clone. He's reunited with the other Smashers and is now delivering another inspirational speech like they do in the movies. Well, this is no movie. And they won't get a happy ending.

The crowd of Smashers go through another door, leaving the Great Maze behind them, and begin their march toward him, the most powerful being they'll meet. Now, Tabuu can get a good look at Luigi. Straight and tall, blue eyes fixed ahead, mouth a resolute line. Tall and handsome, with chocolate brown hair beneath a green cap, a nice moustache and white gloves. Green shirt, navy overalls, flipped cuffs. Shined work boots. He walks like a man on a mission. Hand in hand with his precious brother. A penguin and a kid in a baseball cap are also at the front with him. Must be good friends of his. They'll go right after his brother.

"Ah, Luigi," Tabuu sighs wistfully as the Smashers step into his residence. "I would've loved to see how your fire would turn out in my empire. I would've loved to harness it in creating a perfect new world, a world where I master all which crawl on the Earth and swim in the sea. Shame that you had to make an enemy out of me—you would've gained a powerful ally. No matter—I'll just take my time getting rid of you."

He chuckles as he unfolds his wings and hovers into the air, ready to take care of the pesky Smashers once and for all.

 **Please R &R.**


	8. Holding Firm

**Holding Firm**

" **Look them in the eye. They'll remember you."**

 **-** _ **Valkyrie**_ **(2008)**

 _Sometimes, in a life-or-death situation, your life flashes before your eyes._

 _Or, you're resigned, peacefully awaiting Death's eternal embrace._

 _As Tabuu charged up his Off Waves, I was neither._

 _Let me explain._

 _We finally made it through the Great Maze. We finally beat our shadowy clones. We were finally in Tabuu's lair. The final battle was about to go down._

 _Tabuu was an impressive figure. He was a tall, blue humanoid who towered above all of us, hovering on his giant wings, giving him the appearance of a dragonfly-man hybrid. His face was empty, blank, soulless, a cruel smirk on his lips as he looked down at us as if we were a tasty meal. I stood the closest to him, and I could feel his power emanating from him. But I stared him down, anyway._

 _The time had come. I was ready. Ness was ready. DDD was ready. And so were the others. This was the clash that would be immortalized and passed down to succeeding generations. The battle for our worlds, our tournament, and our lives. One godlike humanoid against thirty-five strong. And we were going to hit him with everything we had._

 _Of course, Tabuu would try to eliminate us with a cheap shot. He pulled back his wings, and we knew that he was generating his powerful Off Waves. Once we were hit with that, we'd all be trophies, and our games would be over. Tabuu grinned wickedly at us. He thought he had us where he wanted us. He thought wrong._

 _Even as his wings pulsed with energy, I kept my eyes locked with his. I was no longer afraid to die. I'd rather die than face a lifetime under his rule. I glanced askance at Ness. At DDD. At Mario. They all held an unwavering gaze on Tabuu. Even Lucas, with Red once again at his side. We were going to face death calmly. Together. Like fighters. Like legends. As I glared directly at death, I'd never felt so alive. Thirty-four souls stood around me, lending me their emotional strength. I fought with them, laughed with them, cried with them and celebrated with them._

 _Now, I'd happily die with them._

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The thirty-five Smashers enter the last door and confront the ruler of Subspace, Tabuu. The one responsible for throwing their worlds into chaos. Despite his formidable and intimidating presence, they stand straight and tall. Thirty-five pairs of eyes glare defiantly at the blue humanoid, who regards them with a cold, sadistic smile.

"So," he intones. "We finally meet."

He surveys the fighters who've assembled against him, and his eye falls on the one he's looking for. Standing there at the front of the crowd, fists clenched, ready for action, Luigi decides that he's not going to let Tabuu bully him into submission. He tilts his head slightly so he can gaze directly into his foe's face and let him know that he'll back down only when Hell freezes over. And there's something about his blue eyes which stirs something never before felt in Tabuu—fear.

Luigi's eyes never leave Tabuu's as the latter continues to stare down his challengers. They flash and burn brightly like azure candles, or two stars in the black night. Tabuu averts his gaze, yet he feels they eyes on him, searing and slicing into him. There's a steely, determined look on the plumber's face which sets him apart from the others. Maybe it's because he's always had such a timid personality. But the man in green at the front of a crowd of Smashers is anything but timid, a far cry from the cowering mess he'd expected to easily do away with. And Luigi is tired of being labeled as such. He's going to show everyone that he can still make a stand, timid or otherwise!

"You actually think you can stop me?" asks Tabuu.

"Think?" snaps Luigi. " _Think_? We _will_ stop you!"

"And how are you going to do that?" challenges Tabuu. "If I recall correctly, I did a big number on your leader. What makes you think you stand even half a chance?"

"Listen, buddy," DDD buts in. "You sent your little minions after us, and then your bosses, and then false clones of us, but we made short work of them. And believe me when I say we're gonna make short work of _you_."

"I'd like to see you try," crows Tabuu, flapping his wings. "I'll finish you all in one shot. I did it before, and I'll do it again."

"Go ahead," Ness says bravely, "but years, or even centuries from now, a disgusted and harried population will rise up to finish what we started, and they'll drag you through the dirt of the streets."

Tabuu cackles. "Such bold language, little one," he says. "It's no wonder the blonde child adores you so much. Imagine the outcry and grief if _something_ happened to him."

"Touch Lucas, and you're dead meat!" declares Ness, his fingertips sparking with PSI.

"Ooh—so feisty," giggles Tabuu. "I may be merciful enough not to use my secret weapon and just take my time with you."

"You'll have to go through me first."

Tabuu's eyes swing back to Luigi as he steps forward, the Smashers closest to him trying to yank him back. The man in green advances several more paces until he's almost under the hovering humanoid, eyes slicing through him, his stance steady, his mouth hard, his jaw set, his skin aglow with spirit. Tabuu, in turn, floats closer until they're practically eye-to-eye. Luigi doesn't shrink a centimeter.

"Well, won't you look at this?" laughs Tabuu. "The Eternal Understudy, speaking up for the Smash Brothers? Have they declared you their champion?"

"No," Luigi tells him. "I'm choosing to do this of my own free will. I have known these thirty-four for years, and I will live and die for them."

"You think you're tough?" snickers Tabuu. "You think you're hero material? I'll have you soiling yourself inside of five minutes! Tell me, L—how can you protect your beloved friends if you can't even protect yourself? Oh, yes—I know all about you. Like the fact that you couldn't even stand up to a count, his geeky assistant and their jester friend, and wound up their little mind-slave because of it. Must've been traumatizing, forced to fight your loved ones, knowing that the near-destruction of all worlds was all your fault." He leaned in closer and spat, "All. Your. Fault."

And then he waited—waited for Luigi to break down and bring the morale of the Smashers crashing down with his. But he did no such thing.

"You're wrong," the plumber says in a strong voice. "It wasn't my fault. It was them and their black magic. They found my weak spot and manipulated it—and they used it against me. But no villain will ever do that again—for the experience helped me realize how I truly loved my bro! You're wrong about something else—I _can_ protect myself! Since you know so much about me, do you know that I made a perilous journey to obtain the medicine to cure Mario of Bean Fever? Or that I fought the root of my deepest fears to free him from eternal suffering in a portrait? Your words may cut me, but they'll never rip me to shreds! What hasn't killed me has made me stronger!"

His chest heaves as he thinks about the trials he's endured to this point. The stigma of being the second player. The stigma of the last-place ranking on the tier list. Koopa's and Ganondorf's cruelty, which led him to take on Adventure Mode. Waking up to find his world sucked into the void of Subspace and seeing his friends as trophies. Fighting fearsome bosses and clones. And now facing down a taunting, malevolent humanoid.

"You're standing there, waiting to crush me—to crush us—but I'm here to tell you—nothing crushes us! Nothing! We're the Super Smash Brothers, and we're taking our tournament back!"

He means it. Tabuu knows it. The two glare at each other, Luigi's facial expression growing in intensity. Unwavering. Unbreakable. Stout-hearted. Committed. He jabs a gloved finger forward, drops his voice, and vows, "We _will_ take you down."

"No, you won't," growls Tabuu. "I will take all of you down. Starting with _you_!" His wings flap menacingly.

"If you hurt him," Mario speaks up, "then you're gonna have to hurt me, too."

"And me," says Ness.

"And me," says DDD.

"And me," snaps Samus.

"And me," growls Lucas.

"And us," proclaims Link, stepping forward alongside Zelda.

"Me, too," hisses Peach, smacking her frying pan against her palm.

"Me, three," Douglas chimes in.

"Puff!" cries Jigglypuff.

The other Smashers come forward to stand in solidarity with the man in green.

Tabuu grins at their death glares. "Very well," he says calmly before pulling his wings back, power building up inside them.

Luigi keeps his body firmly planted to the ground, even as blinding light surrounds Tabuu. He knows that he's about to unleash those awful Off Waves, and once the attack hits, the resistance is over for good. There will be no brooches to revive them. No survivors to rekindle hope. No continues. Nada. Nothing. Only darkness and despair for all eternity.

Yet he doesn't run. Neither do his friends.

As the ground tremors, Luigi feels a hand close around his. It's Mario's warm hand, and though they don't make eye contact, they use the power of touch to communicate their love. Brothers to the end, and this is the end.

A smaller hand takes Luigi's other hand, and he knows that it's Ness. The psychic's lips are firmly compressed, as are Lucas's. They've fought the good fight and fought hard until the final seconds of their flight into eternity. Although they're about to go, at least they'll go kicking and screaming.

"L," says Ness. "It's been an honor to fight at your side."

"The feeling is mutual, Ness," Luigi quietly replies, keeping his defiant stare drilled into Tabuu.

DDD claps a hand on his shoulder. "He'll remember us," he says wisely. "When he closes his eyes, we'll be in his dreams. I'm happy to have known you, albeit for a short time."

"DDD—thank you," says Luigi, "for everything."

"No," says DDD. "Thank _you_."

Luigi's eyes cut to the bone, yet Tabuu doesn't stop summoning as much power as he can into his wings. He and his friends will be put on display as an example of their ill-conceived attempt to challenge him. The last thing they'll see in this life is him, and then whiteness, and then—nothing.

But the last he'll see of these Smashers will be those thirty-five pairs of brave, defiant eyes.

Especially Luigi's.

They have accepted their fates. They will go into eternity as if going into a paradise. This is what they'll be remembered and honored for. This is their courageous last stand.

However, seconds before Tabuu unleashes his devastating attack, the Smashers' journey into the hereafter gets a stay of execution—

…courtesy of a certain supersonic hedgehog.

 **Please R &R. Now that LiR2016 is finished, expect more frequent updates of this story!**


	9. Grit

**Grit**

 _ **"You may hand us over to the executioner, but…the disgusted and harried people will bring you to book and drag you alive through the dirt in the streets."**_

 _ **-Valkyrie (2008)**_

 _Standing there in that lair, it wasn't our time. It was our destiny to fight for our freedom, and fight for it, we did. Sonic the Hedgehog landed the crucial blow which set the fight into motion._

 _Tabuu's wings stored the power of the Off Waves, but they were also delicate. A good slash or two could disable them. They were no match for a blue blur, going at a high-rated speed. Sonic's Spin Dash attack tore through both wings, severing parts of them. Tabuu recoiled with an echoing scream of pain. If he could feel pain, then he was mortal, and we could take him! Newfound resolve filled us all as we exchanged purposeful looks. It wasn't over, after all. There was still a battle to be had. There was still a chance. Sonic had given us a continue, and we weren't going to take it for granted!_

 _Sonic alighted in front of us, that cocky smirk on his face. I wanted to hug him and choke him at the same time. Where was he this whole time? Couldn't he have done that sooner, when, I don't know, DDD had put his brooches on me and Ness? At the moment, it didn't matter. I was grateful to him for granting us a reprieve. I was grateful to him for not letting his professional rivalry with Mario lead him in the wrong direction. I was grateful to him for joining us._

 _I looked back up in time to hear Tabuu order some of his troops after us. We whirled to face the enemies we've encountered in this adventure barreling headlong toward our midst. The decisive final battle had begun._

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The Smashers, resigned to their impending doom, now must grasp the fact that they're going to live. Two blue slices form an "X" above Tabuu's wings, causing a hefty chunk of each to fall away and tumble uselessly to the floor. Surprised murmurs arise from the crowd, still wrapping their heads around this miracle. Then, the answer to their shared question—the identity of their savior—appears in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog.

"You're too slow!" he crows, wagging a finger at Tabuu.

"Sonic?!" gasps Mario in surprise.

"Looks like I came in the nick of time," says Sonic, facing the Smashers with a wry smile.

"Yeah, you _think_?" eyerolls Mario.

"So," smirks Sonic. "What did I miss?"

"A lot," Peach says curtly. "Leave it at that."

Sonic turns his gaze toward Luigi, and is briefly hypnotized by the hope, gratitude and mild aggravation on his face. "Good to see ya, L," he says quietly.

"You, too," Luigi states solemnly. "Though you could've come sooner…"

"I know. I'm truly sorry. I was in a bit of a jam, that's all," explains Sonic.

"Something that you couldn't drop in order to help us?" Mario questions pointedly.

"A simple 'thank you' will suffice," Sonic shoots back.

"Guys…" Luigi breaks in.

The two rival mascots look at him.

Indicating Tabuu, Luigi continues, "How about we continue this spat after dealing with _him_?"

Tabuu was straightening up, grimacing in pain, angry over that hedgehog stealing his most potent attack.

"I'm with you there," says Mario as he meets Tabuu's blazing eyes.

"Me, too," Sonic chimes in.

"You little twerp," Tabuu hisses at Sonic. "We'll see if your legendary speed can save you and your friends. All forces—attack!"

The remainder of Tabuu's army, mostly Primids and Big Primids, mobilizes at the command, charging toward the thirty-five Smashers. But Tabuu's injury has bolstered their courage.

"I don't think so!" snaps Luigi. He raises a fist in the air. "Let's stop this now! CHARGE!"

At this powerful command, he leads the Smashers to meet the Primids' charge and launches himself like a rocket into the mob. In seconds, a handful of enemies are sprawled on the ground, allowing his comrades to pounce on them. Luigi gets up in time to evade a blow from a Big Primid and delivers a brutal smash attack to its jaw, a sharp kick to its midsection and a series of vicious punches to the face and body. Finally, he grabs it and throws it into some more oncoming enemies. He focuses his fire before launching fireballs every which way, tricking the Primids into thinking he's shrinking away and then letting loose with his fury when they come to finish him. _This is any free-for-all_ , he thinks, the sounds and sights of battle raging around him and adding to his adrenaline. He leaps into the air and attacks a group of smaller Primids with aerial chops and kicks, drilling into them with his d-air. Some Primids come armed with Beam Swords, Ray Guns and explosives, making them more difficult to defeat. Swords and melee weapons swish through the air, but Luigi's agile body escapes them all. He kicks them off his feet with his down smash, lands elbow strikes on their prone forms and then snatches their weapons to toss to the closest fighter in distress. A Big Primid grabs him, but Luigi quickly breaks free and jabs his hand twice into its chest, follows up with body shots and ends with an explosive fiery uppercut. Some more Big Primids take advantage of his falling state, snatch him up from the floor and begin battering him with savage blows, but Luigi ends their little game with a Cyclone. One by one, he grabs and throws them away from him.

His heel smashes into a Primid's shin, knocking it off balance. Luigi comes at it aggressively, raining knifehand thrusts and flying kicks on it before sending it flying with a misfire. The crowd is so thick that the risk of his Super Jump Punch outweighs the reward. For the most part, he cuts many Primids down with his smash attacks, but when he needs breathing room, he first scatters them with his Cyclone and then lets himself go with a Missile, aiming for misfires. When Primids get the drop on a Smasher, Luigi's misfires defuse the situation and get fighters back on their feet. Items begin to drop from the heavens, which is a good sign. Master Hand is returning to consciousness and is assisting his Smashers however he can. Boomerangs encounter Primids' craniums. Gust Bellows, Drills, Hotheads, Soccer Balls and Beam Swords fall directly into the hands of a Smasher in need. Luigi gets hold of a Hammer, the feeling of it in his hands so blessedly familiar, and wildly whacks away at the enemies leaping toward him. After it wears off, his fierce blows bring more Primids to their knees, his eyes constantly searching for people he can help.

DDD hears Luigi's spirited shouts as he slams down his hammer hard enough to cause the earth to tremble. One blow is enough to crush five or so Primids, and if one tries to grab him, then he'll simply roll over on it. He coolly disarms his foes of their weapons and sends them scattering like Pick-Up Sticks. And more than once, he powers up his Jet Hammer, the thrust behind each swing rocketing him forwards a bit. The shockwaves from his blows can topple enemies like Dominoes, a big help to Smashers being ganged up on. He fires impenetrable Gordos into large crowds, dispersing them in less than a second. He flattens, squashes and tackles them with his large body. He suctions them into his mouth and spits them out as stars into other Primids. But mostly, he uses his hammer. No weapon can fell multiple enemies like this baby. DDD takes the time to bring it to his lips, observing the other Smashers giving it their all, using their fists, their swords or whatever weapons lying within their reach.

"Poyo!"

DDD whirls as Kirby kicks away a Primid sneaking up on the king. He then uses his Final Cutter to hold a wave of enemies at bay, DDD snatching one of them out of thin air and slamming it onto the ground.

"Kirby! Are you okay?" asks DDD.

Kirby nods, black and blue decorating his pink skin. "Poyo poy?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm good," smiles DDD. "It was nice of Sonic to help us, don't you think?"

"Poyo!" Kirby agrees cheerfully.

"Is Meta okay?"

"Poy," Kirby points out, having spotted his mentor battling fiercely against the onslaught with Galaxia.

"I think Master Hand is recovering," surmises DDD. "Where else are these random items coming from?" He picks up a Home Run Bat and gives it to Kirby. "These can defeat even a Big Primid in one swing."

Kirby stares at the weapon for a moment before inhaling it. DDD notices a few of the puffball's bruises fading instantly.

"Better choice," he mutters.

"Poyo poy," warns Kirby, pointing up at Tabuu. "Poyo, poyo poy popoyo poyoyo!"

"You're right—Tabuu can heal before any of us can attack him, but what are we going to do about these Primids?" wonders DDD.

"Poyo! Poyo poyoyo poyo!" Kirby suggests.

"Grab Meta and fight him as a trio? Kirby, you're a genius!" laughs DDD, hugging his frenemy. "Let's get cracking before those wings repair themselves!"

As the two representatives of Dreamland fight their way toward Tabuu, Ness and Lucas burn scores of Primids with PK Fire before assailing them with more psychokinetic attacks. Ness also has his bat, and Lucas his stick and his Rope Snake. PSI lights up around the boys, sending many Primids into confused frenzies, but their efforts have grown increasingly futile. As one Primid falls, another takes its place. The psychics are panting, sweating and bleeding. Their PSI magnets help somewhat, but their enemies manage to grab them out of it. Just as they're about to be overrun, there's a flash of green, and a familiar green rocket blasts into the attackers. Lucas and Ness waste no time gawking, casting PK Flash and then PK Thunder on the depleted ranks surrounding them, plus PK Freeze on Lucas's part.

"Don't you just love Luigi?" Ness asks his friend, catching his breath.

"Can't live without him," Lucas replies, noticing the aforementioned man in green giving the boys a wink and a thumbs-up before taking on some hulking Big Primids.

"Listen—we're not getting out of this," says Ness. "We need to find a way to go for Tabuu directly. Otherwise, he'll heal his wings, and we'll lose the battle."

"Why didn't we think of that sooner?" asks Lucas.

"What? Damaging his wings?" Ness shrugs. "I dunno. But we gotta use this window of opportunity before it shrinks and disappears for good!"

"Right," says Lucas. "Let's go!"

The young psychics dart past enemy troops toward the critically injured Tabuu.

Meanwhile, Luigi is engaged with a Big Primid when he's knocked flat onto his back. Slightly dazed, he sweeps his legs about, knocks out his opponent and is about to rejoin the action when he catches movement.

Ness and Lucas, fighting their way past the Subspace troops in Tabuu's direction. DDD and Kirby, the latter floating above the battle and towing the penguin along for the ride. He steals a glance at Tabuu. He's still weakened from Sonic's sneak attack, but it's bound not to last for long. The plumber sets his face; he knows what he must do. His attacks are among the most devastating in the tournament. He'll easily chip away at the ruler of Subspace until the finishing blow lands.

Squaring his shoulders, Luigi sets out for the platform where Tabuu awaits, leaving more beaten Subspace troops in his wake.

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Tabuu's back throbs, and he can feel his blood trickling onto the long platform. He's going to crush that hedgehog for what he's done! He's jolted out of his anger at the faint sounds of footsteps. He peers over, a savage grin splitting his face. Here come the little psychics, Ness and Lucas. They think they're something with their PSI powers and their child's toys. A chuckle rumbles deep in his throat as he envisions what he's going to do to the young lovebirds. He'll take care of Ness first, and then put Lucas out of his misery as he cries over the brunette's body.

Ness and Lucas reach the platform and brandish their respective battering weapons as Tabuu floats toward them.

"All right, kids," he smiles. "Let's play."

Lucas clenches his jaw and remains silent.

Ness calmly nods at Tabuu. "Okay," he says simply.

Currents of PSI shoot from the boys' fingers as Tabuu launches himself at them.

 **Please R &R**


	10. PK Loyalty

**PK Loyalty**

 _The Subspace troops were supposed to stall us until Tabuu healed from Sonic's surprise entrance. Well, they didn't keep us occupied for long. We knew we had to engage him directly if we wanted even the slightest chance of winning. Our odds of beating him had gone from slim to quite high. But it wouldn't be long. There was no telling how long it would take for Tabuu's wings to repair, and it was a risk we didn't want to take._

 _So, some of us made our way to the long platform where Tabuu was watching the clash. I saw Lucas and Ness in animated conversation before fighting their way to the platform, with Kirby and DDD following close behind. Hanging back wasn't an option. They needed me, and they needed my reliable attacks. Despite his wounds, fighting Tabuu was a daunting prospect, but I had to try. Maybe a Super Jump Punch would do him in. Or a misfired Missile. Or a stylish combo involving my Cyclone. Or—_

 _Some Primids were coming for me, so I quickly fought them off and navigated through the fray to join my friends. About halfway there, I heard a high-pressure water spray and whirled to see Big Primids knocked off their feet by F.L.U.D.D. Mario stood there, looking exhausted but stubbornly fighting on. He was about to be overrun, though, so I sprang into action. Within a minute, I'd launched the enemies ganging up on Mario away._

 _He smiled at me in gratitude, too winded to speak. I noticed that he was wounded, and the apprehension threatening to take me over was gone in a flash, replaced by pure rage. Nobody hurt my brother and got away with it! He assured me that he was okay, that he had some power-ups on him, but I was still incensed that they'd managed to injure him. I shot a piercing glare towards Tabuu as Ness and Lucas reached him, feeling Mario follow my gaze._

 _One look, and we knew we had the same thing in mind._

 _Hand in hand, we once again started toward the ruler of Subspace._

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With a powerful grunt, Lucas launches a hexagonal-shaped current of PSI directly above him, striking Tabuu where the sun doesn't shine. Tabuu curls up slightly as he tends to that region, and Ness jumps in, launching his own PSI straight into his face. Lucas takes his thick stick and swings it as hard as he can into his foe's sides, following up with PK Fire.

"How are you doing, Ness?" he asks.

"Do I have to answer?" Ness shoots back, aiming PK Thunder at Tabuu's chest.

Lucas flips into the air and does some sort of aerial cartwheel, PSI sparkling around his body. Ness charges up his leg with PSI and kicks Tabuu hard in the abdomen. They've gone at him fiercely from the start of the battle, but they've barely left a mark on him. He smirks at them while laughing off strikes from stick and baseball bat.

"My grandmother hits harder than you kids," he smirks.

"Well, I'm sure she's nicer than you," quips Lucas. "Could you tell her to bake some cookies for us? We're hungry."

"PK Flash!" barks Ness, sending a blue-green pulse of light into the distracted humanoid.

Tabuu shakes his head to clear it from the attack. "Now that was pretty good," he mutters. He's grown tired of toying with these two psychics and decides that the time has come to show them he means business.

"Playtime's over!" he announces, firing energy blasts at Ness and Lucas with his fingers.

The boys waste no time pondering. They dart out of harm's way immediately, one shielding the other at times. The tiny blasts either harmlessly sail past them or are absorbed into their PSI Magnets.

"Is that all you got?" Lucas crows bravely, lashing out with the Rope Snake and wrapping it around the humanoid's neck.

Tabuu's fingers fly to the animal, trying to pry it loose from its windpipe, but Lucas only commands his pet to squeeze harder and harder. Ness isn't standing still, though. PSI swirls in his hands as he fires continuous streams of it at his and Lucas's foe. "You're doing good!" he compliments the blonde. "Just keep a good grip on him!"

Lucas spots two Franklin Badges next to his shoe, clips one on with his free hand and tosses the second one to Ness. And the timing is never better. Tabuu manages to break free of the Rope Snake's constricting hold and now slumps over, gasping for breath, eyes bugging out of his head. He was going to teach that blonde psychic a little lesson for causing fear to seep into his soul.

"You'll pay for that, you brat!" he vows calmly in a normal speaking voice. He floats toward Lucas, who stares fearlessly at him.

"PK Freeze!" commands Lucas, firing a snowflake-shaped projectile at his adversary. It doesn't freeze Tabuu, but it makes him wince.

"PK Thunder!" Ness joins in, using the move to propel himself into Tabuu.

Lucas runs over and helps Ness up, knowing that Tabuu is bound to attack soon. "This isn't working," he whispers in his ear. "He's taken everything we've thrown at him."

"We can't give up," says Ness. "Don't worry, Lucas. We'll put a crack in his armor!"

They dive out of the way as Tabuu lunges, slashing at them with an energy blade.

"That looks like a giant Beam Sword!" Ness points out.

"I know," deadpans Tabuu, "but it isn't. Here, have a slice."

Tabuu slashes again and again, while his opponents jump or dodge, depending on their position on the stage. They take note of the arc of his lunges to disrupt him with PK Fire. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much of an effect. Tabuu sometimes slides clear of the psychokinetic projectile attack and slices relentlessly. The energy blade is long and broad, and most of his hits, I'm sorry to say, connect with their targets. Still, Ness or Lucas manages to sneak behind him to pummel him hard.

At long last, Tabuu puts his blade away and smiles at the two boys. They're on their knees, bleeding from their sides, limbs and shoulders. Bruises cover them from when he's attack them with the hilt of his blade. They look so perfect.

Tabuu spreads his arms. "You can't beat me, kids," he says with a faux-weary sigh. "Why don't you just accept your fates under my rule and be happy?"

"Never!" the two boys defy as one.

"You're really asking for it," says Tabuu, turning into a shark-shaped blade and charging at them.

Ness and Lucas hit the floor, covering their heads. The brunette's hat is swept off his head, but other than that, the attack fails to hit them. Ness picks up his hat, puts it back on, and rises alongside Lucas once the shark blade attack finishes. He speaks calmly to Lucas in a low voice as they await Tabuu's next move.

"Something just occurred to me. Sonic damaged his wings, but can he still use his Off Waves on us?"

"I think so," says Lucas. "We'll just have a better chance of surviving them."

"If we're able to evade them," corrects Ness.

"Our PSI Magnets won't work," says Lucas. "We'll either have to shield, jump or—look out!"

He grabs Ness and rolls him out of the way as a pair of brackets flies across the stage.

"What _is_ that thing?" demands Ness as it flies back at them. The boys roll aside.

"Look like some gold brackets," says Lucas. "Okay. Next time it comes at us, jump!"

"Got it," says Ness.

They time things carefully and leap over the brackets when they fly towards them again. Suddenly, it sweeps downward at a diagonal trajectory and snatches up Lucas.

"Hey! Put him down!" screams Ness.

And the brackets do just that, slamming Lucas hard against the stage. Ness attempts to run to Lucas to check on him, but the brackets grab and slam him, too. He wriggles on his belly towards his friend and takes his hand for reassurance.

"I'm okay," rasps Lucas.

"Can you get up?"

"Yeah."

The boys struggle up and then charge again at Tabuu, who confuses them by quickly teleporting all over the stage. Suddenly, he splits into duplicates, who waste no time swarming the boys. They attach to them and explode on contact, sending the boys spinning helplessly through the air. Taking advantage, Tabuu turns back into the shark blade and repeatedly rams into them like a supersonic train. Ness and Lucas are now crumpled on the stage, staggering to their feet. But that's when Tabuu takes a cheap shot, quietly moving behind them and—

"Peek-a-boo!" he giggles, delivering a series of rapid slices to both boys. Thanks to their quick thinking, they SDI away, only for Tabuu to pin them onto the stage with his foot.

"This is going to hurt," he promises. "A lot!"

But as he raises his energy blade to strike, two voices stop him in his tracks.

"Hey, pal! Why don't you try that one someone your own size?"

"Poyo!"

Tabuu turns to see King DDD and Kirby, their faces set with anger. "Well, look at this!" he chortles. "The penguin and the alien marshmallow want to help their friends!"

DDD opens his mouth to retort, but then—

"PK Thunder!"

Ness and Lucas take advantage of the distraction to escape from Tabuu's pin.

"Yeeeoooowww!" screams Tabuu, clutching his singed foot.

"Are you two okay?" asks DDD.

"Yeah, thanks to you guys," Ness beams gratefully.

"Yikes, he really worked you two over," gasps DDD, surveying their bruised, bleeding bodies. "Go find a shady spot and recover your strength. Kirby and I will handle this guy!"

"But…" starts Lucas.

"Go!" DDD adamantly repeats.

Lucas takes Ness's hand and heads for safety.

"C'mon, Kirby," says DDD as he and his frenemy drop into their fighting stances. "Let's take this scoundrel down."

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